Inheritance
by Amber Eagle
Summary: During the summer before seventh year Lily gets sick and nobody has any idea what to do. This is not a normal illness and has links that go back centuries into Lily's family. What will she do when her whole life changes and nothing is clear anymore?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_Some of you readers may recognize this. It is the same one just touched up so it makes more sense._

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter. It belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.

The first wave of nausea hit me two weeks before my 17th birthday. I had been eating dinner with my family when I suddenly stood up and bolted to the bathroom. The next thing anybody knew, I was puking blood.

The vomiting continued for a week, until I thought there was no chance I would be better by my birthday. That was when the temperatures started. As soon as the sun rose in the morning I was sitting at 107.9˚ and the moment it set my temperature dropped to 91˚. There was no transition period; it just went from blazing hot to freezing cold instantaneously. My parents were scared, but couldn't bring me to a doctor because my powers were out of control. Every few minutes water would shoot out of my palms ad soak everything around me before freezing. The ice was a welcome retreat, cold and steady during the day, but at night I got so cold that I felt like screaming and ripping at my skin until there was no more.

"This is just like one of her freaky magic," my sister Petunia from my door one night. I knew it appeared as if she didn't care about me, but I knew that below her icy exterior she was scared out of her mind for me. At her words my parents exchanged a look and ran to get some paper and a pen. After scrawling a quick note, my mother taped the letter to my owls' leg and brought her to the window.

"Go Destiny. Fly to Hogwarts. Bring that to somebody there."

Destiny hooted and took off silently into the night.

Hours later, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew were visiting Remus Lupin at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Remus was there because he had nowhere else to go.

They were outside on the quidditch pitch, just kind of lazing about, basking in their all around awesomeness when suddenly there was a loud hooting above them. A strange owl landed on the ground in front of them.

It had wide brown and beige wings and a large spotted body. Dark ear tufts stuck out of its speckled head and it watched them with huge orange eyes. Always the observant one, Remus was the first one to recognize the owl.

"Hey, isn't that Lily's owl?"

"Lily who?" Peter asked.

"How many Lilys do you know?"

Peter thought for a minute, "uhhhh, one?"

"And who is that?" Remus was patient to a fault.

"Evans!" Peter was excited because he knew that answer.

Destiny hopped up to James and stuck out her leg.

"Ohhhhh! Evans is writing to James. James and Lily sitting in a tree…."

"Don't even think about finishing that song Padfoot," Remus said while reading over James' shoulder.

Peter and Sirius crowded so they could read it too.

_To whom it may concern,_

_I hope this letter finds somebody at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry as we are in need of your help. Since July 28 our daughter, Lily Evans, has been vomiting blood and has had temperatures ranging from 91_˚_ to 108_˚_. We are unable to bring her to a doctor because her powers are out of control. She constantly has water shooting out of her palms and freezing. We would be very grateful if Headmaster Dumbledore could send somebody to bring her someplace that they would be able to handle this. _

_Sincerely yours,_

_Rosemary Evans_

Sirius raised his eyes, "she's got water shooting out of her palms? Cool!"

Remus looked at him in disbelief, "she also has a fever on 108˚. That's 10˚ above normal."

"She's faking," James scoffed after scanning the letter again. Peter squeaked. They all turned to look at him.

"But what if she's not? We should give this to professor Dumbledore; if she's faking he'll know."

"Let's go!" Remus started running towards the castle. James sighed. They always forgot magic during the summer.

"Accio Comet 260," his broom flew into his hand and he jumped on it. When he was next to the group running, he snagged the letter out of Sirius' hand and sped across the field. Sirius was so surprised that he stumbled and fell on his face.

_Well I hoped you liked it. I have been tweaking it and trying to make it a bit less confusing. Sorry it took so long, I'll be better about updating... I hope._

_Review, and let me know what you think._

_Amber Eagle._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter.

Lily groaned when she felt her magic gearing up for another attack. They were getting closer and closer together. Water arched through the air and hit the door just as people walked through it. She heard a shriek and a few curses before falling back into unconsciousness. As long as the pain stopped anything that happened would be alright.

A few hours before…

Remus was the first of the marauders to make it to the castle. The first thing his eyes saw was Dumbledore standing at the base of the staircase reading Lily's letter. James was standing beside him looking around, when he saw the others he said, "Professor, they're here."

Dumbledore raised his eyes and looked at the boys then shifted his gaze to Professor McGonagall, who had just entered the room.

]

"It seems Miss Evans has fallen ill, we'll have to send somebody to get her."

Professor McGonagall nodded, "it will be done, I'll go myself."

"Have somebody accompany you."

"Bring her here! But this is summer vacation! I don't want to see her anymore now then I do during the year." James' outburst made everyone in the room look down to hide their smiles and shake their heads. The feud between James Potter and Lily Evans was just short of being legendary. It had all started before they had even been sorted into their houses during first year. During the boat ride across the lake Lily, Sirius, Remus and James had been in the same boat. All was going well until James and Sirius started messing around and had 'accidentally' dumped Lily into the cold water. She had then retaliated by turning James' ebony locks a bright shade of fluorescent pink before making it grow and braid itself.

"I'll ask…," Professor McGonagall started, but was interrupted by shouts from half the marauders.

"Me! Ask me!" Remus and Sirius screamed while jumping up and down. Looking every inch the lunatics they were.

"You traitors!" James said.

"Well, if you can't decide, I'll ask…" again Professor McGonagall was interrupted by the boys turning to her and inflicting their death glares upon her.

"No! We'll sort this out like men." Sirius turned to Remus and held up his fist.

Remus nodded and raised his own fist.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" they yelled.

"I win!" Remus did a happy dance.

"No! Best 2 out of 3!"

"I win again!" Remus did his happy dance again.

"Best out of five." This continued well past the point of which Professor Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall and motioned for her to leave.

"I'm going to go now!" Professor McGonagall called, and sighed when she was completely ignored. James smirked and walked up to the pair.

"You know that she's leaving now right?" They turned to him with a glare.

"Shhhhhhhhh. Can't you see that you're messing up my concentration? Now Remus best out of 153."

James turned around and whistled sharply. A sharp crack announced the arrival of a house elf.

"Can I have some popcorn? With extra butter. Mmm, I love butter, and chocolate frogs, and jellybeans, and pumpkin pasties, and cauldron cakes and don't forget the liquorice wands… Mmm food… what are you still doing here? Be gone!"

A few minutes later Professor McGonagall walked back into the room with Professor Kettleburn. When she saw the boys she sighed and turned to James while asking, "are they ever going to stop?"

"I like popcorn." James was lost in a candy daze.

"Okay anyways, I'm leaving with professor Kettleburn so behave," And with that she was gone.

When James' food arrived Dumbledore scratched his chin and said, "I would like a lemon drop… if you boys need me I'll be in my office."

"Hmmm. An office. I need one of those. Can you get me one?" James said, turning to the elf.

"I'll try Sir James." The elf squeaked enthusiastically.

"And I'm going to name you James Jr."

"But I already have a name!"

"Well now you have a new one"

"Okay sir!" And James Jr. cracked out of sight.

"Okay Remus you can go I give up!" Sirius finally decided that enough was enough when they reached 795. He turned to James.

"Oooooooh. Popcorn!" Sirius squealed when he saw what was in James' hands.

"Don't even touch it!" James was very possessive of his popcorn.

"I'll duel you for it! Stupefy!" James got the popcorn stolen out of his stunned hands.

"Haha. It's my popcorn now!" Sirius did his happy dance just as Remus took a look

around.

"Hey where'd everybody go?"

"Away.' James stated simply after the stunning had worn off.

"Why?"

"Because I got my popcorn."

Just as Remus was about to answer a scream of terror pierced the air. Everybody's heads shot up and they scrambled to their feet and bolted out of the great hall. Peter was left behind munching on a pumpkin pasty. When he finally arrived back on planet Earth he realized that he was alone he figured that since he was tired he would go to bed; so he did.

Remus, James and Sirius slammed outside and what they made Sirius turn to James with one eyebrow raised.

"So she's faking huh?"

_There's Chapter 2. Let me know if you liked it and if there is anything I should change._

_Love it, Hate it, Want to help out…. Let me know._

_Review._

_Amber Eagle_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter no matter how much I wish I did.

Her skin was ashen and her eyes were closed as she lay in Professor Kettleburn's arms.

"She's not breathing! As soon as we moved her she started convulsing and when we apparated into Hogsmeade she stopped breathing." Professor McGonagall was frantic at the thought of losing one of her best students.

"We need to get her to the hospital wing now," Albus was calm, "Minerva calm down, she'll open her eyes in a few moments.

As if on cue, Lily's eyes opened and she gasped. Immediately a twister of air appeared.

Dumbledore grimaced and muttered under his breath, "This is happening too quickly. Everyone back away."

Everybody but the marauders took a few giant steps back. Sirius even went as far as to take a step forward.

The wind change was instantaneous. Nobody saw it coming until he had been lifted off his feet and was flying through the air.

As an experiment Remus took a step forward and was blasted away by another strong wind that was laced with ice chips.

James didn't want to get hurt, but somebody had to help her get to the hospital wing, so he took a step forward. He was expecting a great wind to lift him off his feet but when the wind slowed and caressed his face he didn't even think about it.

He moved until he had Lily in his arms and was striding to the castle.

"You will explain everything!" McGonagall muttered sternly to Dumbledore before following the Boy up to the castle. He followed with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I wonder…"

After Lily had been placed in the hospital wing, the marauders were sitting around the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room when a thought struck Remus.

"When you flew off to the castle earlier, I didn't think that you were going to give the letter to Dumbledore."

"I wasn't, but that damn owl was flying around my head and I flew into a wall when I was aiming for the stairs. Dumbledore recognized the owl and took it out of my hand." James looked sheepish.

Sirius yawned so wide hi jaw cracked and groaned, "What time is it?"

Remus glanced at his watch, a muggle thing he always wore and replied, "It's 12:17 am. It's August 11th. Lily's been sick for two weeks."

_Well that's it. I hoped you liked it and the next chapter will be up soon._

_Let me know what you thought. _

_Review._

_Amber Eagle_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_I know the last few chapters have seemed slightly out of character, but at the current moment James thinks he hates Lily when really he has no idea how he feels. Remus and Sirius were really silly in chapter 2, but that was so it would have a bit of comedic relief before it gets all intense. **I know **that they seemed out of character, but they are as I write them. Nobody truly knows what James and Lily were like, what every faucet of their personalities entailed so it's the authors choice._

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter.

Sunlight streamed through the windows in the hospital wing and shone on the pale eyelids of the one and only Lily Evans. They flickered open and revealed her bright green eyes, but there was something different. Deeply imbedded in the green were flecks of gold.

-Lily's P.O.V.-

My stomach grumbled a wake up call as I sat up and looked around the room. I was at Hogwarts? Something terrible must have happened. I cringed and looked down. There was a bundle of clothes on the bedside table.

I swung my legs around the side of the bed and stood fluidly. This surprised me; I had always been the person that everybody laughed at because I was always falling and hurting myself. A quick personal assessment showed that nothing was wrong, but I did feel funny. It wasn't a bad feeling, just different. It was kind of a tingly feeling from my toes all the way to the top of my head.

I grabbed my white scoop neck sweater and pulled it on before reaching for my jeans.

Something sparkled and I stopped moving. A twinkle out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and I turned. There was a necklace floating on what looked like a cushion of magic. Reaching my hand out until it was just underneath the edge of the cushion, I waited. As soon as my hand was still, the necklace fell.

The metal was cool against my palm, as I bought it closer to my face for a better look.

It had a simple silver chain, but it was the dangling ornament that caught my eye. There was a silver dew drop that was separated into four stories. The top left was a sapphire, the bottom left was an emerald, the bottom right was an amethyst and the top right was a ruby.

The necklace looked to be very valuable, but since I had received a gift from the school before, I clasped it around my neck and sighed when a feeling of right washed over me. I touched its icy coolness before tucking it under my shirt and pulling on my jeans.

A glance around proved that my robes was nowhere to be found, so I left the hospital wing in search of food.

James P.O.V

Sirius, Remus, Peter, Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore and I were eating breakfast in the great hall when the door opened and a redhead stuck her head inside.

Dumbledore rose and gestured her forward, "I see you're feeling better."

Lily nodded and raised her eyes to look at the rest of us. Her reactions wrote themselves on her face and I watched as she looked at everyone. To professor McGonagall's inquisitive face she smiled wryly and shrugged before moving on to Sirius. She giggled at something he was doing, but I didn't look at him to see what it was. When her eyes met mine I saw something in them that I had never seen before.

-Lily's P.O.V.-

'Why that pompous jerk! He's here to ruin the rest of my summer vacation too. Why do I have to see him?' I set my mouth in a frown and moved on. When I saw Peter my expression shifted into one of distrust. I didn't know why it did that, but there was just something about him. Just being around him gave me chills.

The doors behind me slammed open and I heard Madame Pomfrey screaming, "She's gone Albus! I left her for a moment and she disappe…" I turned around meekly and met her eyes.

I heard a chuckle from behind me and spun around ready to give the person dumb enough to mock me a verbal lashing, but when I saw laughter in Dumbledore's eyes the words froze in my throat.

"Miss Evans, did you perhaps forget to tell Madame Pomfrey that you were awake and going to eat?"

"I…ummmm…yeah. I forgot to tell you. Sorry," I turned back to Madame Pomfrey. She nodded curtly before speaking again.

"I know that you feel up to walking again, but there are still tests that I need to do to make sure that you are back to full health." At her words I shook my head and took a step back, hitting the table in the process. A hand covered my own and I glanced down at Remus. He gave me a sympathetic look and I remembered how once a month he was in the hospital wing. He knew how I felt.

"Poppy, I don't believe that is necessary. As we can see, Miss Evans is well again." Dumbledore spoke and Madame Pomfrey huffed before stalking out of the room.

The headmaster stood and said, "I'm going to my office, and if you would join me soon Miss Evans. I have something you should know."

I swallowed audibly and righted myself to follow him.

Once I was in his office Dumbledore gazed at me from over his half moon spectacles.

"Would you like a lemon drop?" He asked holding out a bowl with the candy out to me. I declined politely and he placed it down before looking at me again.

"I will get to the point. What do you know of the elemental mermaids?"

My eyes widened, " I know that they are mermaids that can control all four of the elements, like the other elementals, and they were all wizards and witches, and they are the strongest breed of elemental. I know that they haven't been seen or heard from in over a thousand years. The theory is they've gone into hiding, but many people think that they became extinct."

"Tha's good, now, if I'm not mistaken, you've been given a necklace or pendant by the school?"

I nodded and pulled the necklace out from under my shirt. He glanced at it and nodded. My hand paused as I placed it back under the fabric and I said, "Well two things actually. I got one thing on my first day here." At my words his eyes widened and his gaze flew back to my face.

"Two? May I see the other one?"

I held out my wrist and he took one glance at my simple silver chain and muttered, "this is one thing I never thought I would see."

"But sir, why would Hogwarts give me gifts?" My mind was whirling.

"I'll answer that in a minute. Do you know what each stone on your necklace means?"

"No, but I can feel the power radiating off of them." Dumbledore was starring at me and I was getting nervous. "What do they mean professor?"

"The four stones are a ruby, an emerald, an amethyst and a sapphire. These four stones represent each of the four elements; the ruby is fire, earth is the emerald, the amethyst is air and the sapphire is water. The shape of the necklace is important also. The symbol of the mermaids is a silver dew drop."

"But why would Hogwarts give me a necklace that was the symbol of the elemental mermaids? They went into hiding over a thousand years ago." A thought was thrust into my head as I remembered a passage from a book that I had read about legendary magical creatures. It had described the transition period of the elementals. It fit my last two weeks to a tee. I gasped, "you aren't saying…"

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. Hogwarts has felt or seen the power inside of you and has gifted you with heirlooms that are rightfully yours. You are an elemental mermaid, and a very strong one if Hogwarts is any judge." His eyes were serious and the twinkle was gone.

I did the only thing that I could think of, I fled.

_There's Chapter 4! Yay!_

_Chapter 5 will be posted next Wednesday and I am working on writing Chapter 8 as I type this._

_Thank you to all who reviewed. I really appreciate it and because I love you all so much I'll give you a hint to the next chapter._

_In the next chapter Lily has a heart to heart with James. Remus knows something is off with Lily and she learns more about herself._

_I know it's not much, but there's a hint to the next chapter._

_Review and talk to me!_

_Amber Eagle_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter in any way shape or form.

-James' P.O.V.-

"Come on Padfoot! Hit me with the bloody bludger." I yelled while out on the quidditch pitch. The bludger was zooming around and Sirius was following it closely. He grunted as he heaved the bat and connected, sending it careening my way. I pulled up on my broom and watched as it passed below me.

"Prongs, I won't hit you if you move!" Sirius was tired and getting grumpy.

I laughed. Even though we had been at this for the past hour and I was still unscathed, I enjoyed watching Sirius improve. I was captain of the Gryffindor team and this year we were going to kick ass.

Somebody came out of Hogwarts just as a flash of lightning appeared on the horizon. When I heard the boom of thunder that followed my eyes widened and my heart pounded out of my chest. How the bloody hell had the storm appeared that fast? We'd had no warning!

"Padfoot get inside and cool down! We're done out here for now!" I yelled over the wind. Sirius nodded and shot off. I turned and bolted for the lake. I could see somebody there and I had to get them inside.

**-Lily's P.O.V.-**

Why had my life turned upside down? It was my bloody birthday. This was a crappy birthday present in my opinion.

"What are you doing out here? Get inside!" A voice rang over the howling wind. I sighed and turned around slowly. My eyes lifted to meet James Potter's gorgeous hazel eyes. Pulling my hood down and facing the lake again I closed my eyes as I put my head in my hands. I hated showing weakness in front of anybody, let alone James Potter, but right now I couldn't help it. This was too big to handle on my own and it was to freaking unbelievable.

"Are you alright?"

I pulled my head around and stared into his eyes. James Potter was showing compassion? Mark it on the freaking calendar. It had to be a trick.

"What are you doing? I asked sharply, getting to my feet.

He looked quizzically at me, "What are you talking about?"

I scoffed and glared at him, "you hate me remember? Why are you asking if I'm alright? Are you going to rub it in my face that I'm feeling like crap a moment ago and didn't tell you to get lost?"

James glared back at me, "I was trying to be nice Evans. Obviously that is something you don't understand, so I won't do it again. It is clearly wasted on you. That wasn't a trick, I asked because I don't want us to fight anymore. I'm tired of it. I don't know why you blame me for you jumping in the lake; if anything you started it when you turned my hair pink."

I gasped and shouted, "You moron, I didn't jump in the lake, you and Sirius tipped the boat and made me fall in! I only defended myself, by turning your hair pink."

"Defended yourself! Do not be self-righteous. You retaliated, which makes you as bad as us."

The comment was drowned out by the loudest crack of thunder, which scared me so bad that I jumped and automatically reached for James' hand. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing in and out, slowly. The tightened focus made me more aware of the warmth that spread from James hand around my own and the fact that James had fallen silent. I let go and blushed discreetly shaking the shocks from my arm.

Glancing at James' face and I saw that he was just as surprised as I was and I sighed. With that look in his eyes I felt I could trust him enough to confide some things in him. I wouldn't tell him about the mermaid thing, but I could avoid the subject and still talk things through.

"Do you need to talk?" James asked quietly, so I nodded. Since the storm was still raging, we sat on the cold wet ground and he threw his cloak over top of us so we wouldn't get even more soaked than we already were. Once that was finished, James looked at me and started speaking.

**-Normal P.O.V.-**

"Why were you so upset?"

"Have you ever had anybody tell you something that changed your life forever?" Lily asked, looking at the ground.

"No I haven't, but it is bound to happen eventually. What I would do in a situation like that would be to think it through and decide whether or not the event was really that bad or if it would only be different. If it would just be different than I would learn to live with it and maybe even like having it be a part of my life."

"I'm just so confused. I don't understand why it happened and I don't know if I'm going to be able to keep my life normal with it."

"What wizards life is ever normal. We use magic every day. Can I know what Dumbledore told you?" James was curious.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

"Wow, apparently it's a secret."

"Yeah."

"So are you staying at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer?"

"I think so, what about you?"

"I don't usually, but I'm going to because Remus is having a bit of trouble with the…" James cut himself off abruptly.

"He's having problems with the wolf, isn't he?"

James' head shot up and he glared at me, "How do you know about that?"

"I…umm…I don't-" James cut me off again, this time by glaring at me. I cringed back and looked at the ground. He ripped the cloak off of us and stormed to the castle. I followed his movement with my eyes wistfully. That had been our first real conversation and I had to screw that up too.

Standing up, I started walking to the castle and up to Dumbledore's office.

"Remus! Did you tell anyone else about the wolf?" James tripped into the common room and Remus looked up curiously.

"No, why?"

"Oh, no reason, I was just wondering." James strolled up the stairs to the boys dorms.

Remus studied the book in front of him, but he wasn't reading the words, he was thinking.

I was sitting in the chair across from Dumbledore and staring at the book that he had given me when I had walked back into the room. The inside was blank, but when I wrote in it the words disappeared and new words appeared in their place.

"Ask it any questions you have. I can't tell you anything more than that," I nodded and walked out of the office. When I was almost to the Gryffindor common rooms, I heard my name being called and turned. Remus was walking towards me.

"You okay?" He asked when he was beside me.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He looked a bit uncomfortable, "You know about me don't you?"

I nodded, so he continued, "How do you know?"

"I don't know how I know, but I just do," his eyes widened before he leaned forward and sniffed me.

"What are you doing?"

"You're a magical being too! I don't know what though. I've never smelled anything like you before."

"You can tell all that by sniffing me?" My interest was struck.

He nodded, "Because of what I am, I have a really good nose, so I can distinguish most magical beings. Kelpies smell lightly of salt and driftwood, veelas smell like coffee and cinammon. There are a lot more, but most of them I can't describe. Is that how you knew what I was?"

"No, something inside of me says werewolf, but it also says friendly wolf, if that makes any sense."

"Well now we know that you work on sensory. A strong mental voice."

"Great, I'm hearing voices in my head, that's always a good sign."

Remus chuckled, "Well if you ever want to talk, just say so and I'll listen."

"Thanks Remus, I should go, I've got learning to do." Lily opened her mouth to say the password, but stopped and turned back.

"Would you mind not telling anyone about me, please?"

He nodded, "Goodnight Lily."

I was smiling as I walked up to my dorm room.

_So that's it for this chapter. I hoped you like it._

_Review please!_

_It's not even that hard; just tell me what you think of it, good, bad, or give me suggestions to make it better._

_Next chapter is going to be purely informative about what Lily is and what she has to do. I'll get that up next Wednesday._

_Amber Eagle_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Lily sat on her bed against her headboard and tapped her quill against the paper in the book that Dumbledore had given her. She wanted to learn about what she was, but at the same time she had a feeling not all of what she learned would be good. She sighed and placed the quill on the surface of the parchment.

_What exactly are elementals?_

**Elementals are creatures that possess the power to control the four elements; earth, wind, fire and water. They are very rare and people have tried to take their powers before. There are laws protecting elementals of all kinds, but others still try to use them for their own gain though.**

_Where did we come from and why do we exist?_

**Nobody really knows where elemental mermaids originate from, but you exist for two reasons; power and your mate. These are connected. **

_How are they connected?_

**Mermaids are the strongest elementals so they strive for one thing, power. Finding their mates unlocks their full power. A fully mated elemental is almost unstoppable.**

_What do you mean about my mate?_

**Your mate is the person that can make you happiest and who you can make happy. They are your true other half and they complete you.**

_How do I find them? Will I know it when I have found them?_

**Your mate will have a scent that is like nothing else you've ever smelled before. It will be the best smell in the world to you. They will be the same age as you will have a matching magical signature. Any gems that represent the elements will heat slightly to the touch when you are in physical contact with them.**

_How can I see magical signatures?_

**That is one of your new powers. When anybody uses magic around you they will be surrounded by an aura of sorts. There are colors that make up that aura, their magical signature. When your mate uses magic, as they are always magic users, you will see that the colors directly match your own. **

_What happens if I don't find them?_

**The reason there are so few elementals is the answer to that question. You will die if you have not found them within the first two weeks and forged the first bond.**

_First, as in more then one?_

**In order to become full life mates you must forge five bonds.**

_What are they?_

**The first bond is completed with a kiss that connects your bodies. They also have to know what you are and accept that you are meant to be together.**

_And if they don't?_

**The being inside of you will see itself as unworthy and will destroy itself from the inside out.**

_So if I don't find them I'll die, but if I find them and get rejected I'll die anyways._

**Yes, but if they do accept you, the second bond is one that connects your minds. It is established when you have a sense of where the other is and when they are in danger.**

_That's useful. What's the third bond?_

**It is a way of linking your lives together. You take them down to see the other part of your world. So you take him swimming.**

_How do I do that? Won't I have a tail?_

**There's a medallion that allows wizards to grow a tail for a temporary amount of time. The medallion will only work for your mate though.**

_Where can I get the medallion?_

**When you need it, it will find you.**

_What's the forth bond?_

**It is forged when your mate loves you and the feeling is returned. The final bond will then be shown.**

_What's the final bond?_

**I can't tell you that. For every elemental couple it's different. I can tell you that it links your souls together.**

_So, each of the bonds connects a different part of you. The first connects your bodies and the second your minds, then with the third our lives are entwined and our heart follow with the fourth. The final bond is one that connects our souls. And it's only after that that we will be true soul mates._

**That's correct.**

_I only have two weeks to find them and forge the first bond._

**Yes, you will find them nearby. There is another thing, once the first bond is formed if your mate gets hurt so do you.**

_So if they die, I will too?_

**Yes.**

_What happens if I die? Will they live on?_

**Yes they will, but it will be an existence not worth living, most mates that lose their elemental take their own life soon after.**

_I guess I had better start my search then._

_There's chapter 6, I really hoped you liked it and I will get the next chapter up next week. This chapter wasn't supposed to be really exciting; it was just supposed to be really informational._

_Review and tell me what you think._

_Amber Eagle_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter sadly.

Lily was sure that she couldn't tell anybody about what she was. After what the book had told her, she didn't want to be experimented on. Not that she'd wanted to be before, but now she knew that there was more to hide from, in both worlds.

"I guess that all that I can do is wait for my mate to reveal themselves." Lily thought as she walked down the dormitory stairs. The book had told her that her mate would be her age and somewhere nearby. That left the people staying at Hogwarts and the people in Hogsmeade. James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were staying, but Lily didn't know how many people were in Hogsmeade that were her age.

Lily walked through the next few days seemingly in a daze, but when Sirius approached and asked her if she wanted to hang out by the lake with the Marauders, she agreed. To find her mate she would have to spend time with them. She didn't mind though. James and she had come to a truce and now the boys all knew that she knew about Remus. Times were easier now, but at the same time she was growing closer to each of them. If she was going to die she didn't want them to get hurt in the process.

She shut these thoughts down as she walked across the grass with the boys. Whenever she was with them she got a sense of security and peace. Her mate was among them, that she was now sure of. This sense of love was unlike anything she had ever felt before and as the wind swirled around gently she laughed freely. The sound was so pure and full of joy that the boys all turned and smiled when they saw her face. She ran past them and called, "last one there is a rotten egg!"

They exchanged grins and followed at a sprint. Just as she reached the edge of the lake Lily felt arms wrap around her waist and suddenly she flew through the air. She felt the tingles and smiled as she hit the water. The moment she was completely submerged that changed; a searing pain shot through her and she curled into a ball, unaware that she was sinking. She'd never felt pain this intense in her life, her legs felt like they were being turned inside out. This was the first time she'd been underwater since her transition week, but right at that moment she didn't really care.

She couldn't breathe and was almost to the point of passing out when strong hands grabbed her under the arms and she was dragged towards the surface. The water was pushing in on her and it seemed almost as if it was pulling her back down, but the hands never let go. They held on even when her head crested the water and she dragged in a strangled breath. She whimpered quietly.

"Lily, come on, we're almost there! Hang on!" A deep voice spoke in her ear as she was propelled through the water. Lily gasped when she was lifted out of the water and laid on the grass. She opened her eyes and saw with surprise that Sirius and Peter were glowing; Peter had a yellow and green aura… magical signature, and Sirius' was gold and red. They both had their wands out and she figured out why when James picked her up and placed her on his broom and held her securely as he sped to the castle.

The bang of a door slamming open grabbed the attention of Professor McGonagall, who, seeing Lily before she could protest pulled out her wand, said sonorus and called, "Poppy, be ready! Miss Evans will be with you in a moment!"

James nodded in thanks and continued on. Once he reached the hospital wing he leapt off his broom and gently laid Lily on the white sheets. He had no idea why he was so worried, but seeing her like that sent a spike through his heart and he knew that he wouldn't leave her until he knew that she was okay.

Madam Pomfrey rushed to the side of her bed with a potion in her hand. Lily's eyes fluttered when she swallowed the clear liquid.

"What was she doing when she collapsed?" Professor McGonagall turned to James once she was reassured that Lily was going to be okay.

"Were just goofing off by the lake and I threw her in as a joke, but she never surfaced. I swam down to her and pulled her back up then brought her here. She looked like she was in lots of pain. Is she alright?"

"Headmaster what do you think? I can't find anything physically wrong with her." Madam Pomfrey looked at Dumbledore as he entered the room. "I told you I needed to do more tests."

"No more tests will be necessary Poppy. I know exactly what's wrong. She will be fine. May I see you two in Poppy's office please?" The three adults left the room and left James and Lily alone.

James moved until he was beside her, sat down and just watched her face.

In Madam Pomfrey's office the adults watched the two adolescents through the glass.

"Albus, what is happening?" Minerva saw James' face, "why is there such a change in Mister Potter's attitude towards Miss Evans?"

"What I'm about to tell you must stay between us. Nobody else may know. That is very important." Dumbledore's voice was serious and both women nodded.

"Miss Evans is an Elemental." At his words they gasped, "One of the strongest I've ever seen and she must stay safe."

"What about the two week limit to finding her mate? How is she going to do that?" McGonagall was stunned and Madam Pomfrey's answer shocked her even more.

"She's a mermaid, isn't she Albus, and Potter is her mate." Dumbledore nodded. "Does he know?"

"I don't think Miss Evans even knows yet. This should be an interesting year."

In the hospital wing Lily was waking up and the first thing that she saw when she opened her eyes was James' face.

"Where am I?" She glanced around and groaned. "The hospital wing, again? Why?"

"Do you remember what happened at the lake?"

Lily thought hard, "I remember racing you guys and getting tossed in… and then nothing. Pain... as soon as I was fully under. It was horrible."

"Lily I'm so sorry. If I hadn't tossed you in, you wouldn't have almost drowned." James hung his head and didn't see that Lily was shaking her own.

"It's not your fault James. It was bound to happen eventually. Help me sit up please."

James leaned down and placed his arm around her shoulder and eased her into sitting position. As he sat back his hand brushed the back of her neck where her necklace had twisted. It flared with a burst of sudden heat. Lily felt it and recalled the signs of her mate and breathed in slowly, sorting through the different scents. Potions and sheets, the still drying lake water, and … 'there it is' she thought as the subtle blend of vanilla and spice hit her nose.

'_Your mate will have a scent that is like nothing else you've ever smelled before… best smell in the world to you… same age… comparing magical signatures… it will be the exact same… any gems that represent the elements will heat up… find them nearby.'_

'Well I know that my own magical signature is white, gold and green, so if I can get him to use magic I can make sure that he's my mate. He smells amazing and my necklace heated up when we were both touching it." Lily thought this through quickly and shivered. James noticed and lifted his wand.

"Do you want another blanket or would you prefer a warming charm?"

"Either will do, thanks." Lily was stunned that it was that easy. She saw him wave his wand and felt the heat surrounding her body. The aura around James was white, green and gold. It was an exact match to hers. She'd found him.

Madam Pomfrey walked back into the room and said, "you can leave if you feel up to it Miss Evans. Just take it easy and don't push yourself too hard."

Lily nodded and tried to swing her legs over the edge of the side of the bed, but was stopped by James.

"Want help?" He lifted his broom a bit, offering her a ride. She nodded again and laughed when he swung her up in front of him. She thanked Madam Pomfrey and they left.

It was a short ride and Lily felt much stronger by the time they arrived at the common room; she hopped off the broom and landed steadily. Sirius and Remus looked really surprised to see her up and conscious, but that wasn't really that much of a surprise. Once they were over it she began to get bombarded with questions.

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"Can't you swim?" Why did you almost drown?"

James held up his hand and told them to slow down. They nodded and after giving him a really weird look Remus spoke up.

"What happened?"

Lily knew that she had to be really careful with her answer. She couldn't mention the mermaid.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened, but whatever it was it hurt a lot, but I don't think it'll be happening again."

Remus looked at her and she could see that he knew that she was hiding something, but he didn't bring it up.

"Weird… who's hungry?" Sirius asked as his stomach grumbled.

Lily spent the next few days wandering the lake after dark as her other self and trying to figure out how to tell James that they were meant to be together. She still had no idea, but time was running out, so she was through with just waiting for something to come to her.

She was spending a lot of time with the marauders and was slowly learning what made each of them tick. She learned that James, Sirius and Remus were all fiercely loyal to one another and that Peter had just started as a tag along. The others had taken him under their wings and he had become popular by association. Just because they were all talking didn't mean that she had to trust him though. The back of her neck still prickled whenever he looked at her.

Lily knew that she had to talk to James soon and pulled him aside one afternoon. She would show him today by the lake.

"Would you mind coming with me?" Her eyes spoke volumes.

He looked into her eyes and it seemed as if he were looking into her soul. How was she going to tell him that they were meant to be together? That he basically had no choice in the matter.

She wouldn't. She would give him a choice.

He finally nodded, "I don't mind let's go."

The walk towards the lake was quiet and neither of them said anything. He must have known that she had something important to say, and was giving her time to say it.

"I have something to show you. Don't freak out and just give me time to explain when I'm done okay?" Once he nodded she walked down into the lake and dove under. The water surrounded her and she curled up, but it wasn't from pain this time. Now she was elated. A bright sphere surrounded her and faded slowly. When it was gone she saw how deep she'd sunk and with a flick of her muscular new tail she shot towards the surface. Gone were her wizard robes and everyday clothes underneath. Those had vanished and been replaced by a sleek and powerful green fin and a silver bikini top. Her necklace and bracelet still spanned her bare neck and wrist though.

Her head broke the surface and she swam gently back to James. His eyes were getting wider and he gasped when she pulled herself onto the bank next to him and he could see her tail.

"What's going on? Why do you have a tail?"

She had to just come out and say it. "I'm a mermaid James, but I'm also an elemental."

_Hello Cliff-hanger! There's chapter 7 and I hoped you like it. Thanks to all of you who reviewed I really do appreciate it._

_Let me know what you think. _

_Amber Eagle_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter no matter how much I want to.

He reeled back in surprise, "you're a mermaid? And what's an elemental?"

"An elemental is a magical creature that has the power to control earth, air, water and fire. We are really rare and yes, I'm a mermaid."

"Is this why you were so sick and in pain when you went under the water?"

"Yeah, that was a part of my transition period."

He paused and looked like he was thinking it over, "why are you telling me this? What does it have to do with me?"

Lily knew that this was where it was going to get tough.

"Because of what I am, there is one thing that I need; my mate. My mate will unlock my full power."

His eyes widened, "why are you telling me this… you think I'm your mate."

She nodded, "the signs are all there; matching magical signatures, my necklace heated up when you touched it, we're the same age."

"Why me? All we used to do was fight."

"I think this may be why. We fit together and didn't want to admit it."

"That makes sense, but…" He looked confused. "What would I have to do? What happens now?"

"Being my mate would just mean that we are together. Be there for each other." She was looking into his face and she could see that he needed this choice. She had to give him an out.

"You don't have to though." At her words his eyes raised to the sky and then a moment later he looked back into her eyes.

"I have a choice?"

His words put the fist dent into her armor. She'd give him this choice, without telling him that his decision was life or death for her; she'd let him choose his own path. Lily nodded, "yes you have a choice."

He gazed out at the lake and looked like he was thinking really hard. Minutes passed in silence with Lily being unable to see directly into his face. He broke the silence quietly and the words he spoke broke her heart.

"I'm sorry Lily. I can't just dive into this not know what the future will bring. You'll find somebody else." Her body had gone numb at his words but, because James was looking at her, she had to put up a good front.

"It's alright. I know it was an impossible choice. I'm sorry." She couldn't reassure him about finding somebody else though, she already felt cold and empty. The pain was a knife and it twisted painfully when he stood up and turned around.

"Can Sirius and Remus know?"

She shrugged, "it doesn't matter anymore."

"I'm sorry. I really am." With these last words he walked away from her.

Lily could feel the pain and dove into the now frigid water. She knew that she didn't have very long and swam in the direction of the cove that she'd found one night while swimming.

Every action hurt and the water no longer felt like a friend. It was a sinister enemy that would drag her down and never let go. She didn't want to go, didn't want to be forgotten, and didn't want to die. She had done the right thing though. James would keep on living and he wouldn't even know what happened to her because the first bond hadn't been forged yet. There was no connection linking them anymore, if there had ever been. The creature inside her was taking care of that. It… she was making it impossible to keep going, it just hurt too much.

When she reached the cove, she pulled herself onto the white sand and gasped for breath.

Right after leaving Lily at the lake James heard a splash and a saw a fork of lightning cross the sky.

When she'd told him that he was her mate he had had a vision of a grand house on a hill, with flowers out front that looked like they were tended with love and a couple at the railing of the balcony embracing and looking very much in love as they watched the rising moon. They were smiling and he was about to meet her lips when, with surprise James saw that it was him and Lily, the girl sitting right beside him at that moment. Then James was shot back to the present by what Lily was saying.

She was speaking as if she only wanted friendship from him, nothing more. He now realized that he wanted more, a whole lot more. This draw seemed to be totally out of the blue, but when he thought about it, it made sense that he'd wanted to be with her for a while.

"Arg! It's so confusing!" He thought as he entered the common room and jumped as a loud crack of thunder rang out. He was soaked, but he didn't notice as he stared at the clock. He and Lily had been outside for over two hours.

Sirius and Remus were playing exploding snap on the floor in front of the couches when James walked up. They glanced up and stopped.

"Prongs, what's wrong?" Sirius didn't think he'd ever seen that look on James' face before.

"I'm going to tell you something really crazy. Hear me out okay?"

Sirius and Remus shared a look, "okay."

"Lily just brought me down to the lake and dove in. When she came up she had a fin and told me that she was an elemental mermaid and said that I was her mate."

"Why aren't you with her now?" Remus asked in the period of silence after this announcement, completely white.

"She said that I had a choice, so I said no." Remus stood and grabbed a book from the shelf and thumbed through it muttering to himself. He stopped and pointed at the page.

"Read that," James did as he was told and his eyes scanned the page.

**Elemental Mates**

**One common need for all types of elementals from the strongest (merpeople) to the weakest (fairies) is the need for their mate. Each elemental species needs them for different reasons however.**

**Merpeople desire power and having their mate unlocks that potential.**

**Veelas cause others to lose their minds with infatuation and obsession until their mates are there to dampen the effects.**

**Phoenixes can only access the ability to heal when their mates have been found.**

**A dragon will achieve its full draconian form with their mate.**

**Sphinxes become very aware and protective once their mates are found.**

**Griffins need their mates to gain their wings.**

**Fairies double their small amount of magic once they and their mates are one.**

**Another common trait is the fact that each elemental has only one mate and has only two weeks after the transition period has ended to find them or they will perish.**

**Once found, the mate can either accept or reject the elemental. If accepted the pair will forge the first bond.**

**Rejection**

**If the elemental is rejected they will die at a rate that varies depending on the strength of their species. The stronger the being inside, the faster it will tear itself apart.**

**A fairy will use all of its power, but it can take days for the process to be complete.**

**Merpeople, particularly mermaids have the ability to terminate themselves within an hour.**

James looked up, white as a sheet.

"She gave me a choice. She had to have known what would happen, but she gave me a choice anyways. I have to find her!" He looked at the clock again and swore. Thirty minutes had already passed!

"Accio Marauders map." The map flew into his hand and he unrolled it quickly while saying, "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

Lily's name was beside the lake, but it was faded.

He stood and sprinted out of the castle towards the lake. Outside it was storming like crazy; rain, sleet, snow and hail was falling from the sky, wind blowing strong from all directions and when thunder rumbled the ground shook.

"Wind! I have to find her! Lead me!" James called and immediately the wind gusted behind him and pushed him towards the lake.

'I'm not going to make it!' James pushed this thought away and leapt into the air while transforming. He covered much more ground as a stag.

Lily knew that she was totally alone and the world seemed to weep with her. She didn't even feel the pain anymore. She was so cold.

The air around her was charged and wept at the loss of an elemental. There was a thundering along the ground and Lily turned her head and smiled weakly when she saw a majestic stag gallop into the clearing. Many animals had been here, almost as if they were paying their respects, and she expected no different from this stag. Her smile changed to a look of horror when the stag vanished and James stood in its place.

"No." What was he doing here? A bolt of agony blasted through her and she screamed.

James rushed to her side and pulled her into his arms.

"You are such an idiot! Why didn't you tell me that you would die?" James had no idea what to do and he could see that she was really weak.

"You deserve to have a choice." Her voice was rough and she groaned weakly.

"Nobody should die for my choice and you didn't give me all the information! We could be happy together! You weren't giving us a chance. I don't want you to die!" When he said these words she thrashed and opened her mouth in a silent scream. James held her tight and began to panic.

"What should I do?"

She opened her mouth and he leaned down to hear her whisper, "you already know."

James wracked his mind for what he could do; his mind fluttered to the vision. That moment when he'd been about to kiss her had felt so right, so perfect. That was it!

Lily had gone still and was very pale; only the shallow movement of her chest showed that she was still alive. It killed him to see her like that, so he said, "We'll have our ups and downs, our fights and our argument, but I know that we can work through it. I'll make myself worthy of you and make you happy, I promise."

With that said James lowered his face to hers and gently placed his lips over hers. He kissed her gently and when he lifted his head she took a deep breath in and her eyes flicked open. She smiled weakly and said, "I knew you'd figure it out. Thank you."

Her head sank down onto his shoulder and he heard her breathing deepen. She was asleep.

James lifted her into his arms and started walking to the castle. Sirius loped up and as Padfoot and looked at Lily with a quizzical look on his face.

"She's alright. Or at least she will be." The storm had stopped, but Lily was still wet from her swim across the lake, and it didn't take long for her to start shivering. She stirred and mumbled something, but when James looked down at her, she was still asleep. There was a heat, like sitting by a campfire, radiating from her now though.

Only once did she wake up on the way back to the castle. James used this opportunity to put her down and become Prongs and he kneeled by her side before nudging her leg with his nose. It didn't seem as if she had gotten the message, so he leaned on her and put her off balance. She laughed and climbed onto his broad, brown back.

Once she was seated comfortably he snorted and walked forward smoothly with Sirius by his side. Lily leaned forward and started dozing off again. Sirius barked happily and she started. James had to sidestep quickly to prevent her from falling to the ground and he blew out a heavy breath at Sirius, chiding him for startling her.

Padfoot just snorted and smiled in an adorable doggy way before trotting ahead of them head held high.

"I'm going to kill you Sirius!" Lily called after him with a smile in her voice.

The castle came into view and James stopped, allowing Lily to slide off smoothly. Changing back quickly, he took her hands and said quietly, "I meant every word I said earlier. We'll work through whatever life throws at us and we'll be happy. I promise."

She gazed into his hazel eyes and smiled. "I know we will. Thank you. You saved my life tonight."

His only response was to pull her into his arms and hold her like he was never going to let her go.

_There's chapter 8. I'm hoping to keep all the chapters about this long, but let me know if this was too long._

_Review and let me know what you think about the story so far, and send me any ideas you may have. I'll see if I can incorporate them in later. Any reviews are welcome._

_Amber Eagle_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own absolutely no part of Harry Potter, even though that would be so cool.

Lily and James stood there; content just to be holding each other, for a while. A light drizzle started and when she felt the drops Lily threw her head back and laughed. By now she had figured out that the weather changes had been because of her fluctuating emotions. She loved it when it rained like this.

James watched her face and felt his heart pull a bit; she was his and nothing would take that away. He knew that it wouldn't be an easy road. They would have to hide it, but they would make it through. They would live in the moment, because for now that's all they may have.

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That's why it's called the present." Lily remembered her mother telling her this when life had been rough and she'd just wanted to give up. It rang true here too. This is what life was about.

The castle stood over them like a giant immovable protector and they walked towards it after moving apart until only their hands were connected. Somewhere high above them, in the black abyss that was the night sky, a quiet voice sighed.

"So there is another one. I wonder how long she'll survive."

James and Lily used the next few days to connect and forge a friendship before the rest of the school arrived. The summer was coming to an end, and so was the easy relationship that came with being part of a small group.

It was really easy for the two of them to get distracted and talk for hours at a time. Many times over the days that passed, Sirius, Remus and Peter would find them in the common room, by the lake or in the kitchens talking as if they were best friends reconnected. James learned about Lily's childhood and her feud with Petunia that had started after she had gotten her Hogwarts letter and Petunia hadn't. This had sparked the jealousy that had been brewing inside Petunia ever since she'd been a toddler and Lily had gotten the toys first because she was older. It didn't help when they got older and Lily became a beauty and Petunia didn't.

James realized that whether she was at home or at school, she never got a break. At home Petunia made her life a living hell and here he went out of his way to prod her into fighting him. It amazed him that she was still so accepting and patient. He guessed that her friends played a big part in that. He'd seen them together and even used that against her, but they were as close as he, Sirius and Remus were.

Lily listened to James' stories about his mischievous youth. There were many laughs and some gasps of horror, but learning about each other explained many things and opened up their eyes to what sort of people they were.

One night a week before school started again the marauders and Lily were sitting in the common room, talking about some of the pranks that the boys had played over the years, when Peter stood up and went to bed. After a brief pause the conversation continued for another while.

"Remember the end of year feast two years ago? We turned all the Slytherins into rubber ducks one by one! It took everybody forever to figure out what was going on." Sirius gloated proudly.

Remus glanced at Lily and James, and pulled Sirius up, "well, goodnight then. It's getting late and we're going up to bed." With Sirius protesting the whole way, they thumped up the stairs and left Lily and James in silence.

She was sitting on the floor leaning on the couch, facing the fire and James was lying on the couch behind her. They went silent and watched the crackling flames for a few moments. Lily felt a small tug on her hair and twisted her head a bit so she could see James. He was playing with her hair.

"I love your hair." He said as he started pulling his hand through it. "It glows in the firelight."

Lily blushed. Up until now they'd set the groundwork for a friendship, but each of them was beginning to want more, to need more. His hands moved to her temples and he shifted so he was sitting right behind her on the couch, one leg on either side of her body. A light pressure had her closing her eyes and leaning back into his touch. Even the silences were comfortable with them. If only they'd given up their feud earlier, they would've had so much more time together.

James was focused on his task and enjoyed helping her relax; during the school year she was always so tense and rarely seemed to loosen up. His hands shifted to her shoulders and he put more strength behind each movement of his thumbs. She groaned and sank back.

James was really close to turning her into a puddle, but she was still thinking. Her friends Aria and Sage hated the Marauders almost as much as she had. How would they react when they saw that she and James were together? What would they do when she told them what she was? She thought that they'd be okay with what she was, but they would definitely have a problem with who she was with. At that thought her muscles tensed and James felt it.

"What's wrong?" His voice was quiet in the silent room. She twisted around and her back rested on one of his legs. Her hands were tightly held in her lap and there was a worried expression on her face as she looked up at him.

"Your friends know about me and us, and they're alright with it right?" James nodded.

"How am I going to tell Sage and Aria? I don't want to lose them. They won't understand that I need you in my life. They hate you!" Lily wrung her hands together and he placed his over them. He pulled them apart and held them in his own. James didn't want to see her like this.

"It'll be okay. They'll understand. You have been friends since day one; you've stuck together since then. Why should now be any different?"

"They've been sending me letters all summer, but I haven't replied since my transition week. They're getting worried, but I don't know what to say. I'm lying to them James! I have never lied to them before." Lily's eyes were wide and she was starting to hyperventilate. James took her hands and pulled her up onto the couch next to him.

"You do want to tell them right?" His voice was calm and she grabbed onto that like a lifeline.

Lily didn't answer for a few moments. "I don't know. I want them to know, but I don't want things to be weird between us either."

"Then don't tell them right away. Start working your way there, plant hints and try to get them to change their minds about me. Once you think they'll be more accepting, just come out and tell them."

Lily was picturing what he said and it seemed like a good solution. James was brilliant. She could get them to change their minds about him and then things wouldn't have to change. They wouldn't hate him and they could be together around them.

"Okay. I'll try. Until I tell them though, nobody can know about me, or us. It has to stay a secret."

"Agreed." They both knew that if this got out there would be chaos. Lily rested her head on his shoulder and he started rubbing her back. Her legs were over his lap and his other hand settled on her knee. The two teens sighed in unison and watched the dying embers. They stayed like that for a long time before saying goodnight and heading up to bed.

Once she was upstairs in her room, Lily walked to Destiny's cage and opened the door.

"Go for a hunt. Come back soon and I'll have some letters for you."

Destiny hooted and flew out the window on silent wings.

Lily sighed and sat down on her bed with a quill and a piece of parchment in front of her. She had no idea what to say to them. They were getting really worried and she knew that they wouldn't accept any excuses.

_Hey Air,_

_Sorry I haven't written back, I've been really busy and just needed some time to myself to think. I'm done thinking and I can't wait to see you and Sage in six more days! We have so much we need to catch up on. I know that it's my fault and I'm so sorry that I worried you, but I'll tell you about it when I see you. How was England? Did you find any hot British boys? Did you bring me back one?_

_Hear back from you soon,_

_Lily_

She hoped that this was going to be enough to let Aria know that she was okay and that they would see each other soon. The letter to Sage sounded about the same except for the England bit. Sage was stuck at home this summer, but since home was Australia there was a huge feeling of jealousy.

Destiny swooped through the window and stuck out her leg when Lily moved to the window again. She wrote each of their names on the outsides of the envelopes and placed them in the owl's talons.

After Destiny had left the room, Lily lay down on her bed and worried. Would the girls forgive her? Would they suspect anything from her silence over the summer?

At this same time James was laying on his bed in the boys' dorm as well, but he wasn't worrying. He was thinking about the past few weeks and Lily. She was absolutely amazing and it didn't seem as if she knew it. Her friends would stick by her that he knew; just like Sirius and Remus would stick by him. That was how close they were.

The next few days passed in a blur; they all went to Diagon Alley to pick up their books and school supplies. Fortunately they saw nobody they recognized while there. Before any of them knew it the final days of summer faded and the school year was about to begin. The train was coming in that night and Lily was prepping herself to see her best friends again. She and James had come to an agreement; nobody would know about them and Lily would tell her friends about the new part of her after the feast. Neither of them knew anything about elementals because the books were really hard to find and they wouldn't go out of their way to read something that wasn't in the school curriculum.

Lily was pacing the entrance hall, when students started filtering in, talking loudly about their vacations. She spotted two familiar faces at the same time they saw hers and all of them lunged forwards and gripped each other tightly.

"I'm so sorry I didn't write back sooner!" Lily exclaimed when they pulled back. She scanned her friends' faces for any hint of forgiveness.

Sage was the living embodiment of wisdom. Her peaceful grey eyes shone as she looked at Lily and her straight long brown hair was left free to swing at her back. She had a slight build, willowy, like Lily and she was the person in the group to always think things through. People always went to her when they needed advice because she was honest and her advice was always good.

Aria on the other hand lived up to her names true potential too. Her name was another was of saying musical solo by the main character in an opera. She didn't care what people thought of her and lived the way that she wanted to. Confidence was something that she was not lacking and she was sure of herself, not something you saw in many blonde haired blue eyed girls. She knew that the majority of people that looked at her thought that she was just another dumb blonde, but the opposite was true. Her baby blue eyes saw everything and she remembered what she saw. She was smart and wasn't afraid of letting people know what she really though of them.

There was still a nagging doubt in the back of Lily's mind, telling her that once they found about her they would think that she was a freak, just like Petunia did. Shaking her head she sighed and glanced around for James. She looked for him and smiled when she saw that his eyes were on her as she walked into the Great Hall with her friends.

They sat down not far from the Marauders and when the other two saw this they made faces and Aria leaned in and said, "Wonder how many people's lives they're going to ruin this year." James heard this and Lily saw him flinch. She knew that he wasn't proud of all of the things that he'd done in the past, but he was changing. This was that first thing that had to change.

"Air, back off. I've spent some time with them this summer and they're not bad people. They're actually really nice. So don't, okay?" Aria gave her a weird look and Sage smiled a little, but Aria did as she asked and closed her mouth. Lily looked at James and he mouthed 'thank you'. She tilted her head a bit and nodded. This may not be as hard as they originally thought.

_There's chapter 9! I hoped you liked it and will let me know what you think. In other words Review!_

_The next chapter will be Lily telling her friends what she is, not that she's with James but about the mermaid. _

_Thanks for sticking with me,_

_Amber Eagle_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter.

Other than the weird look that Aria had given her when she'd defended James, the night continued without a hitch. Aria stuck to her word and didn't say anything about the marauders. After the sorting, Dumbledore's speech and dinner, Lily leaned in and whispered to her friends.

"I have something that I have to tell you. Stay up tonight and we'll go to the room of requirements." Her friends' eyes widened. The room of requirements was serious, they were they only girls in their room, so they could say almost anything and not be overheard, but if Lily needed that much privacy, this was major. They nodded and she sat back.

They'd heard about the room of requirements in one of the books about Hogwarts that Lily was always reading. It had taken them a long time to find it, but it had been totally worth it. That was the place that they could go and not be interrupted by anybody. They could ask it for whatever and it would always provide it.

Later that night, Lily stuck her head out the door and seeing nobody, started walking down the stairs. Aria and Sage followed her silently. Nothing happened on the way down to the room, but there were a few times when they had to duck around suits of armour to avoid the teachers patrolling the hallways. Finally they made it to the room and Lily paced in front of the empty wall. In a way this was even worse than telling James because if James had refused her, she would have died and not have had to live through the pain, but if her friends turned on her than she would have to live without them. She stopped moving and controlled her breathing before she spoke.

"There was a reason that you didn't hear back from me earlier, but I couldn't tell you in a letter." Her friends were watching her and Lily knew that the easiest thing to do would be to just show them. When she had paced outside in the hallway to conjure the room she had made sure to ask for the elements to be placed inside.

"What's wrong Lily?" Sage's voice was calm. She had sensed that something was different about her friend, but she also knew that Lily would tell them when she was ready.

"Just watch." With a flick of her hand Lily brought the fire out of the fireplace that was crackling in the corner and twisted her fingers until the flames were in the shape of a doe. She brought her other hand around and smiled as the water that had been in sitting in a bowl became the shape of a bird (amethyst sunbird), and the tree growing in the corner shifted around until its leaves formed a lion.

Aria and Sage were staring at her in disbelief.

"When did you learn wandless magic? That must have taken you such a long time." Lily shook her head to stop Aria from speaking.

"It's not wandless magic per say. It's more of a part of me. It can't be taught, but I can do it. The ability to control earth, air, water and fire stems from being an elemental." My words were meant with blank stares. I chuckled. They obviously didn't read what wasn't in the curriculum.

"Not to sound like an idiot or anything… but what is an elemental?" Aria looked really confused as she looked at me.

"The very basic explanation is that it is a legendary magical creature that can control the four elements. It is also part magical beast. That is the easiest way to explain it."

"Are you kidding me? That is so cool! What are you?" Sage was really excited and her eyes were wide as she looked at me.

"I'm a mermaid. Are you guys okay with this? I didn't become a new person; I just changed a little bit." They nodded and stood. When their arms wrapped around me I felt like I was betraying them by not telling them everything.

"So what exactly does you being an elemental mermaid entail? What do you do?" As usual Sage asked the hard question. I didn't know how to answer it, but I knew that I had to try to tell them at least some of it.

"Well I have to look for somebody, my mate. I know that they will be nearby and close to my age and that they will smell amazing to me, but I don't know much else."

"We will help you find them! That's what best friends are for!" Aria was excited about the prospect of man hunting for Lily because she had never really shown any interest in any of them, with the exception of the negative energy towards James Potter. Sage nodded her agreement.

"We can eliminate some people right away; obviously it isn't Potter, Black, Remus or Peter. You have probably spent a large chunk of your time lately with them, but they haven't sprung out at you, so it's not them. That leaves the seventh year Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and… dare I say it Slytherins. That would be terrible!" Sage shuddered at the idea of her best friend being mated to somebody that hated muggleborns. At this point all that they could do was pray that it wasn't.

Lily's smile was uneasy as she looked at her friends. She should have known that they would jump in with both feet to help her, but with this much enthusiasm it was only a matter of time before they picked up a book and read about what she was. The information she was giving them wasn't even close to enough, but until they thought better of James she had no idea how to tell them without losing their friendship. She would have to work fast.

Lily was busy thinking about what she was going to do as her best friends in the world chatted and plotted ways for her to get close enough to smell the boys in their year without being creepy. She tuned back in when she could find no feasible way and the three talked for a long time more.

The trip back to the common room was simple and they came across nobody in the halls. However, the Fat Lady did give them a talking to for being out of bed so late. They chuckled at her and tiptoed up the stairs and to their beds. Lily fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow and slept a dreamless sleep.

The next morning she awoke when the dawn's rays hit her eyelids and she grumbled as she sat up. One of the first things that she had noticed since her transition was that once she woke up she was never able to fall asleep again. Knowing that it was pointless to even try, she glanced at the clock and sighed. Nobody else would be waking up for at least another 2 hours.

Silently, she did what she had to do in the bathroom before grabbing a book and heading down the stairs to the common room. Glancing around the empty room and moving past the dying fire she crept up the boys' staircase. She paused at the door and listened carefully. When she didn't hear a sound she twisted the handle and edged into the room.

Remus was sitting up watching the door wearily, but when he saw that it was only Lily he smiled and lay back down. Only moments later there were faint snores coming from the direction of his bed. Lily smiled, these boys had become as close as brothers to her and just being around them was helping her to relax.

The curtains around James' four poster bed were open and he was sleeping peacefully, laying on his back. Lily didn't want to wake him, so she just slid onto the edge and leaned against the headboard beside him; his shoulder was adjacent to her right hip. She had just opened her book when James grumbled in his sleep and rolled over throwing his arm around her middle in the process. He breathed in deeply and let all of it out on a sigh. Once he was still again she peered at his face and saw that he was still dreaming. Pausing to see if anybody else in the room had awoken, she listened, but other then the light breathing of herself and James and the occasional loud snore from Sirius, there were no other sounds from the other occupants. Secure in her knowledge that everything was alright she dove into the adventures within the pages of her book. With her mind elsewhere, the gradually lightening room did not come to her attention and neither did the automatic movements of her arm in response to James' closeness. It was only when he shifted again that Lily realized that she had been running her hand through his ebony hair and when he spoke, she knew that it had not gone unnoticed. His voice still carried the roughness of sleep and his hand slid along her hip before he tilted his head to look up at her. There was an increasing level of tenderness in being the first one to see him when he woke up, to be the first one to see the pillow lines creasing his cheek.

"G'morning." His eyes watched her as she took her hand away from his hair slowly. Lily blushed under his direct gaze.

"Good morning. Sorry, I couldn't sleep." That hadn't been the first time that she had done that, come into his room in the morning, but it felt like it at that moment. She turned her face away and caught a look at the clock. More time had passed then she had thought and Aria and Sage could've been awake.

"Bloody hell!" Lily sprung up and raced to the door before remembering that other people may be awake. She paused and sensed nothing on the other side of the door, so she opened the door and flew out of the room, down the stairs and back into her own dormitory. Aria and Sage were still sleeping, but she knew that they would wake up soon so she started getting ready to go down and get breakfast. It didn't take very long, so she threw a pillow at Aria and left after she heard her groan and say some things that she wouldn't dare say in front of McGonagall about her. Lily was still smiling as she entered the Great Hall and sat down. The marauders were sitting further down the table and Lily noticed the headmaster approach James and speak with him for a moment. James nodded and Dumbledore began walking down the table in her direction. The table was about half full and a few people looked up when Dumbledore walked up to her and asked to see her and James in his office. She knew that her two best friends were going to be bugging her about finding her mate when they finally ended up getting down for breakfast, so she agreed and saw James stand up farther down the table when she did. They both follow the elderly man out of the room and up to his office.

As they walked behind him, James leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Don't be sorry. I didn't mind."

Heat crept up into her cheeks at his words and she was very thankful that there was nobody passing them in the halls. They reached the gargoyle that stood guard and when the headmaster said the password James looked at her and rolled his hazel eyes slightly. It was a pretty well-known fact that his passwords were always some sort of candy. This was no different, but now he had chosen a muggle chocolate.

His office hadn't changed since the last time that Lily had been it, so she made herself comfortable in one of the chairs on the other side of the big wooden desk. James sat beside her and when Dumbledore seated himself in the large seat behind the desk they waited for him to speak.

A few moments later he opened his mouth, "I have to admit that I have been a little distracted and have not yet finished preparing for the year. Because the two of you were not on the train there was no prefects meeting and organization has gone out the window."

Lily stopped him from continuing, "Why would James not being there affect the prefects? He wasn't one, and I was, but one missing prefect shouldn't change the setup. That's what the heads are for."

Dumbledore looked at her. "That's true, but not in these circumstances. I am asking the two of you if the head duties would be too much to handle on top of all that you are already dealing with. The two of you are the best fit for the task, but you may refuse if you wish. If you accept all of your belongings will be brought to the heads tower on the fifth floor."

"The heads tower? Where is that?" James asked quietly, breaking the silence that had descended upon the room at the headmasters words.

"It is on the fifth floor behind the statue of the knight. Is there anything else that you want to know in order to make your choice?"

James stopped to think for a moment before answering, "is it safe for Lily to be in the spotlight with that high of a position?" He turned to Lily and spoke to her, "not that I don't think that you can do it, but we have to think of your safety first."

Dumbledore nodded his head in acknowledgement of the fact the James raised, "This is something that I have considered strongly and if you are careful about how you display your powers, nothing should go wrong. But you must understand that there will be risks in everything you do, the only thing left to do is accept those and judge if they are worth it or not. Is there anything else?"

Lily looked at James and shrugged, "I feel like it would be a good thing to do; it would be a really important step for the both of us. I want to do it."

James looked at her seriously, "are you absolutely positive? If you say yes, then I am in as well."

She nodded and smiled, "somebody has to be there to protect the school from you."

Dumbledore, who had been sitting quietly throughout this exchange, confirmed that they were going to become head boy and girl and then walked the two of them to the tower. Breakfast was just finishing, so they passed quite a few people who gave them odd looks because they were walking beside each other peacefully without throwing insults or objects at each other. Lily giggled and when he heard that James looked at her quizzically.

"What's so funny?"

"We are seriously confusing people. We may have to stage a big fight in order to restore the equilibrium of the school. Should we?" James pondered what she said for a minute, but then told her that would be a last resort. The other people would eventually get used to seeing them together and staging a fight would only draw more attention to the two of them. If possible they should avoid all unnecessary attention, attention that could change to interest if people found out that she was different. They couldn't have that. Attention was bad.

The statue of the knight was just ahead of them and they saw that Dumbledore had stopped walking and was watching them stroll down the halls as he chatted with the statue. They halted in front of him and each bowed to the knight, introducing themselves. Dumbledore had spoken to them of the password system that was currently in place while they had been in his office and he had told them that there would be two different basic entry passwords in order to access the heads common room and once they were inside they could choose to place another password on each of their rooms. The room passwords were usually for two people that didn't really know each other that well and were just being precautious. He had left them on in case Lily wanted to leave her books out. The books on what she was and the other things she might not want her friends to see. Lily shook her head.

"I would end up giving them the password into my room anyways, so it would be a pointless effort. I will just continue to hide them inside my trunk." With that said Dumbledore told them how to get the passwords changed and strode away. The knight asked them what they wanted the password to begin as and after some thought they were able to agree on the name of Lily's first dog, Kiwi. The statue stepped aside and let them enter the room.

At first Lily and James were stunned. It was easily just as big as the Gryffindor common room and the roaring fireplace had already been lit. In front of the fireplace was a group of couches and chairs that would sit the marauders and Lily's friends with tons of room to spare. There was a long desk set up under the window that overlooked the lake. The water was rippling gently as the giant squid moved beneath it.

There were a couple of paintings on the walls; one was of a pack of wolves running through a large, empty, snow covered field. Lily walked up to the painting and all of the wolves froze before scenting the air. The biggest wolf, as black as the night sky behind him, approached the front of the group to get a closer look at the strangers in his house. Lily placed her hand close to the painting and she swore that she could feel the air gusting out of the canine's nose as it breathed. James came up behind her and placed his hand alongside hers. The wolf raised his head and let loose with an enormous howl before the pack continued playing. They had been accepted.

"Want to check out our rooms? Yours is on the left." James asked, jerking his head in the directions of the bedrooms. Lily double checked and saw that her room was indeed on the left. There were silver nameplates on the doors with their names written in loopy writing. She placed her hand against it for a moment and felt the chill of the metal on her warm fingertips. Lily shook herself and opened the door.

Beyond the newly opened door there was a massive room. It was almost as large as the room that she had shared with Aria and Sage in the Gryffindor Tower, but now she had all the room to herself. Two of the walls were lined with bookcases and when she approached she saw titles that she recognized from home and many others that she didn't. One title in particular caught her eye, **'The Elemental Theorem' **by Lucy Macfraiser.

That could be an interesting book to read. She pulled it off the shelf and moved to the alcove to sit in the window seat there. Once comfortable she opened the front cover and immediately noticed writing on the cover page. She glanced over it quickly and when she saw what was in the small note small tears came to her eyes.

_September 1847_

_As I am writing this I can hear them. They will find me soon enough, but I will not go down easily. That is not an elementals way. If it is their intention to capture me, they will fail. I will end my own life before I will allow that. I am not sure if I am the last mermaid- I sincerely hope not- but if I am, the world will be a darker place indeed. We are the balance; without our aid and control there would be too much power for others to use. Darkness would be able to have too great a hold. Until the sovereign of the elementals returns there is no hope, hell will prevail. My time runs short. They have found the door, I pray that whoever finds this know what I am talking about, and lives in a brighter world then I have left behind. I'm sorry I failed. Belden forgive me._

_Corliss_

There were smears on the paper, wrinkles left behind as if the writer had been crying as she wrote this final goodbye. This woman was potentially one of her ancestors. Lily flipped through the rest of the book, tears still sitting on her eyelashes, hoping to find more information. There was nothing more to find however and a knock on the door startled Lily enough that she dropped the book and moved in the direction of her rock, the one that she could lean on that would not let her fall. James was standing outside her room, an undecipherable look in his eyes.

When he saw the look on her face he took her into his arms, as if he could protect her from the rest of the world.

"What's wrong?"

Lily leaned her head against his chest and let out a shuddering breath. "I found something. I'm not entirely sure what it means, but she was being hunted, because of what she was, because of what I am."

James' arms tightened around her. "What do you mean? Who was being hunted?"

"In one of books that I found on my bookshelf I found a message written by another mermaid. She was hiding from people that were pursuing her. She thought that they wanted to capture her, but she would have preferred to end her own life. She was hunted because of the being inside of her, the same one that is inside of me."

Lily felt her chin being lifted by a gentle finger. Soft hazel eyes met her own and immediately she felt a sense of peace overcoming her.

"Show me." His voice was low and there was a hint of anger behind it, but Lily knew that it wasn't directed at her. The book was lying exactly where she had left it, laying on the rug open to the note. He skimmed through it quickly and looked up at her. "She said goodbye."

Lily looked over his shoulder and reread the last line again.

_Belden forgive me._

"Belden was her mate."

Lily gasped, "she had given up all hope of ever seeing him again. She wasn't even able to say it to his face. He might not know."

James shook his head. "He would know. It would be like something had ripped out a part of his soul and for as long as he kept living it would feel like he had let something go. A part of him would be missing."

"How do you know?"

James' eyes were filled with something that Lily couldn't place as he looked at her. "I do know. Or at least I know what I felt when I almost lost you. I know how it felt to almost not have you in this world and it was as if there was no more colour in the world. Not having you beside me would make my life not worth living."

Lily shook her head so hard that her hair flipped around her face and put her hands on the side of his face in order to pull his gaze up to hers.

"No. You can't think like that. We haven't been together for very long, but I will not let you give up your life for me."

Hazel eyes just stared into her own green one's solemnly as he said nothing. Lily decided to drop it.

"Should we show Dumbledore?"

James shook his head. "If I know anything about that old man, he probably knew about it before it was left for you in this room."

"I guess so, it's just that this changes things. I thought I had a bit of a handle on this thing before, but now I have no idea. I don't like not knowing."

James just put his arm around her and they leaned back against the window seat. A slight breeze brushed past the open window and a mist seemed to come out of nowhere.

"They might have what it takes. They just have to stay together…and alive."

_Well there was chapter 10! It sure took me long enough. I have been working on this chapter since July. Whoops. I may have forgotten about it and everything fanfiction related for the first couple of months of university. It is super busy, but I will write in order to decompress whenever I can. _

_Let me know what you thought. Review or send me an email at __._

_Amber Eagle._


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter. That was from the great mind of JK Rowling.

Lily started in James' arms and wiped her eyes as she scanned the room carefully. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" James gazed around in confusion.

"A woman's voice. I can't understand what she said, but I definitely heard it."

"I believe you, but there is nothing there now." James stood and pulled her to a standing position by her hands. "Class is now in session though, so do you want to go?"

Lily hesitated for a moment before responding, "yeah, but before I forget… I told Aria and Sage about me and they crossed you off the potential mate list right away. The other Marauders are off of it too. I have a feeling they are going to have me go around and sniff all the other people in our year." She chuckled a little bit before taking a step closer and resting her head on his chest.

"Not the Slytherins. Don't go near them." Her back stiffened at the order that was in his tone and she assumed he felt it because he quickly continued, "I am not trying to tell you what to do. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"James not all of them are bad you know. I did used to be friends with Severus."

"I understand that, but he will no longer protect you from the rest of them. Please, just do it for me." Lily nodded and heaved a sigh. The scent that was purely James slid into her lungs and a warm feeling spread from it.

"Okay. We should go." Lily pulled herself out of his embrace reluctantly and slid her hand into his before stepping in the direction of the door.

The walk down to the classroom was almost deserted, only Nearly Headless Nick and the Grey Lady popped into their path. Nearly Headless Nick was the Gryffindor ghost so he knew at least some of what was going on, so Lily and James didn't go out of their way to appear as if they didn't like each other. The Grey Lady hardly ever gave her attention to anything anyways, so they didn't need to worry about her either.

The two of them paused before they opened the door and just shared a glance. This glance said more then they could say with words. It said that they would be there for each other and nothing would come between them.

Aria and Sage were watching the door unblinkingly and their eyes widened when they saw Lily and James entering the room together, both in one piece. Sage's eyes narrowed and she looked deep in thought. Lily prayed that she would not come to the true conclusion and they were answered when Sage shook her head and moved over to create space on the bench for one of her best friends.

James moved to the table that his friends were sitting at and without saying a word pulled out his books and flicked his eyes to the front of the room. Lily saw this and smiled. He really had changed; no, that wasn't completely true, now he was just showing different sides of himself then what he had normally showed the rest of the world before. He really was smart, but had never shown anybody but his friends that he actually studied. His marks were important to him and getting good marks in the hard classes meant that he could be an Auror. That was one of the things that she had learned about him over the past couple of weeks. He was driven and would achieve whatever he decided to strive for.

Her own opinion of him had done a complete one eighty once she had actually taken the time to talk to him. Her own attention moved to the front as well once Professor McGonagall started speaking. The professor explained that the goal for that day was to successfully transfigure a human limb to that of an animal one. They were given a spell that would reveal their potential animagus form and work to configure their own limbs to that of the form revealed.

Lily allowed her eyes to turn to James again and saw that he and Sirius were nudging each other and smirking at Remus. One of the things that she had learned about the group of four boys was that the sandy haired teen was the only one that did not have an animagus. James was a stag, Sirius a dog and Peter was a rat. Each animal had the traits that personified each boy. Stags had long since been symbols of independence, purification and gentleness, but they exuded a sense of protection and pride.

Dogs were known for being protectors, loyal companions, trustworthy and reliable. They were man's best friend and a source of unconditional love; they were also known for being very intelligent, which she had to admit, he was, there was rarely a question that he couldn't answer in one way or another, the answer was just not what people expected.

The rat was as well a good fit for Peter. Adaptability in different situations was one of the traits of the rat; another was devotion to a purpose, shrewdness and restlessness. Although he was not as close as the other three were he was still a part of the group. Lily liked to think that they had a commensal relationship. Peter benefited, but James, Sirius and Remus seemed unaffected.

Even their group dynamic was different than what she had previously thought of it. Because of their antics and behaviour, she had assumed that Remus was always getting ignored and that James was the boss, but neither of those was true. The person in charge was always changing. In some situations Remus was even in charge. It depended on the situation itself.

She was drawn out of her thoughts by Aria saying the spell. A bubble appeared above her head and when the animal appeared Sage and Lily both had to hold back their laughter.

A plain brown bird was strutting around above their blonde friends head. Aria looked up and scowled.

"Ewwwww. What is that? It's not fun at all."

"That my dear is a peacock." Professor McGonagall smiled as she walked up to the three girls.

"Aren't peacocks supposed to be pretty and blue or green? With tails that go out to here with pretty eyes shapes on them?" Aria spread her arms wide.

McGonagall nodded," indeed, if you are a male. The females however are more understated and plain."

Aria frowned, "why do the boys get to be the pretty ones? It's not fair."

McGonagall smiled, "think of it like this. The boys are prettier because they need to show off for the girls in order to secure a mate. If they aren't showy enough then the females just look over them in order to find a better male. The females are still in charge."

With the knowledge that the professor was bestowing upon her Aria grinned.

"Yeah, that's right. I am still in charge. Who's the boss? I am!" At the blondes words the other people around her looked above her head and those who knew what the animal was giggled. It was just too good of a fit.

Sage waved her wand and the bubble appeared above her head as well. A solemn owl starred around the room and tilted its head.

"Those are great pairings. 20 points to Gryffindor for the successful spell cast for both of you." Professor McGonagall walked away from the trio and moved towards the marauders. Sirius had the bubble above his head with a big black dog inside of it, jumping around. Peter had a rat above his head as well. James was trying to convince Remus to cast the spell.

Lily tore her eyes away from her mate and turned back to her friends. A wave of the magical stick that they all called a wand summoned a cloud. It was empty at first, Lily being unable to see anything through the mist. A thought struck her. 'Don't be a mermaid.'

A shadowy figure moved forward and a petit four legged creature revealed itself to the humans watching. The animal was still, allowing people to see an auburn stripe down the center of the tan coloured back, ending in long thin legs and a tail with a white underside. A graceful head with a black nose and ears able to hear even the slightest sound sat atop a strong neck. The doe watched the world through big eyes and turned its head around as another shadow appeared.

"What is that?" Aria was riveted to the images in the cloud. Silence greeted her. As soon as the majestic stag appeared in the mist Lily looked at James. His wand was in his hand, but pointing towards the ground. His eyes watched hers and he gave her a quick smile. The stag approached the doe in the bubble and nuzzled her. With those same motions she felt as if she was wrapped in her mates embrace.

She lost her concentration and the cloud vanished however, when Professor McGonagall appeared at her side, laying a hand on her arm. She looked up into the professor's eyes and mentally put a block on her magic. The students around her were whispering to each other about what they had just seen. Only Aria spoke up.

"So can Lily take on both the female and male deer form? Because that is so not fair."

"No that was something that I have only seen once before. Her magic was reacting to the magic of somebody else in the room and drew their form into her own. There is an old story about people with matching animagi and patronus forms. The story is basically that those with matching forms have a matching magical signature, are meant for one another." At the professors words Lily's friends looked at her excitedly. They caught on to the fact that that meant that her mate was in the room.

"Class is dismissed. Miss Evans if you wouldn't mind staying behind for a little bit, there is something that I would like to talk to you about." Lily nodded and packed her bag with everybody else, but stayed at her table while the rest of the group filed out. Once the room was empty she approached the older woman's desk.

"Yes professor?"

"I understand that the elemental business is relatively new to you, but I implore you to keep your magic under control. It may have been completely unconscious, but only one with magic as strong as yours would be able to pull another's image into their spell. I managed to provide a reason for the class, but this should not happen again. You must not display your new powers."

"But it wasn't one of the elements? How was this connected to my new abilities?"

McGonagall sat down, "did you happen to notice that although everybody else's bubbles were transparent, your own was misty and hard to see through? That was your water control. The ability, although unintentional, manifested and can be attributed to your desire to be connected to Mr. Potter. When the animal images came into contact you felt something physically didn't you?"

"Yes, it felt as if he was right beside me. How did you know?"

"In some cases I've heard of images being one of the windows into a person's soul. Animagus forms are only one of such windows. They manifest into the animal that best suits the person. Patronus forms are another. Although they can occasionally be represented by an image of the witch or wizard's choosing, more often than not they are another factor of a person's being, placed in view of others. When either of them come in contact with another one of the same type, then the very souls of the people come into contact."

Lily thought over what she was being told and something nudged at her mind. Something the book had told her.

_~Flashback~_

_What's the final bond?_

_**It links your souls together.**_

_~End flashback~_

"But, our souls being in contact isn't that the final bond?" Professor McGonagall shook her head.

"The final bond would not just be your souls in contact, it would involve connecting them somehow, intertwining them so tightly that it seems as if your mate is a part of you, and you a part of them."

Lily nodded, although still confused; now she had some more to think about, "thank you Professor."

Through the next period Lily's mind was contemplating what she had just been told. Slughorn took no heed of her inattention though. She was always attentive in the past and he knew that she would put the effort in later. Sage and Aria continued to give her worried looks however. And those worried looks progressed until they were heading in the direction of the Great Hall for lunch.

"What is going on with you? You always pay attention in class."

"That's an understatement. Normally she is getting mad at me for not paying attention," Aria snorted as the three of them sat down.

"Professor McGonagall just told me some stuff. I needed to let it sink in."

"Is it about the fact that you are a me- mphtb." Sage clapped her hand over Aria's mouth and looked at her pointedly. About two seconds later however she ripped her hand away from her friends face and grimaced.

"Ewwwww. You licked me!"

Aria grinned and said, "well maybe you should keep your fingers away from other peoples tongues. So there!"

Lily sighed in relief. The topic was off of her and it was likely that it would stay that way as her two best friends in the world began arguing over the fact that licking people was gross. She sensed concern and glanced around for the source. Her green eyes came into contact with the hazel eyes of her mate and she gave him a small smile, big enough to let him know that she was alright, but not big enough to draw Aria and Sage's attention.

The rest of the day passed and Lily threw herself down onto the couch in the Head's common room. Sage dropped down next to her and Aria plopped down onto the ground in front of them both.

"You know what I hate?" Aria asked, lying on her back on the floor.

"Homework on the first day of classes?" Lily grumbled back, her eyes closed as she lay back against the arm of the couch, throwing her legs over Sage's lap.

"No, homework due on the second day of classes."

Lily chuckled tiredly, "I'm wiped. Wake me up in a little bit."

"Me too please." With those last requests both Lily and Aria dropped off into a peaceful slumber.

Sage looked around the common room and her eyes strayed to the yellow eyes of the wolves in the field picture. The black wolf seemed to stare her down as others crept out of the woods that ringed the field. The sounds around her fell and she felt her body relaxing as peace flowed through her veins. Her eyes closed and she fell into a light sleep.

A slight sound roused the brunette from her slumber and she turned her head and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Lily still resting peacefully on the couch, the second thing was Aria sleeping on the floor on her side facing away from the couch. The final thing her eyes saw before her brain caught up was James standing beside the couch with his hand running through Lily's hair looking down at her. A smile appeared on his face when she mumbled his name and shifted slightly before becoming still again.

"You are her mate." Sage's voice rang out in the silence of the room.

_Well that's the next chapter! I was honestly going to update during Christmas break, but then this chapter sat on my computer untouched for an additional 4 months. Whoops. I'm actually writing this chapter as I am supposed to be studying for my last final exam, but I got inspired._

_Review and let me know what you think._

_Amber Eagle_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I own absolutely no part of Harry Potter. Aria and Sage are my own characters, but everything that you recognize from Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling.

Chapter started: April 21, 2012

Chapter finished: April 24, 2012

Date posted: April 29, 2012

_~Last time~_

"_You are her mate." Sage's voice rang out in the silence of the room._

James froze. Everything about him was absolutely still, his hand was not moving in Lily's hair and it almost looked as if he had even stopped breathing. He was staring at Sage apprehensively.

"And if I am? What then?" His voice was quiet.

Sage was silent for a bit as she thought over the answer to his question. Once she came to a decision she spoke, "I had already had suspicions about you and her, but to find it out for sure is difficult. Why wouldn't she tell us?"

James looked sadly at the redhead still sleeping on the couch. "What do you honestly think of me and my friends Sage? Do you think that Lily would want to risk losing you over something that was not her choice? It's not as if she had any part in deciding who her mate was going to be. Neither of us did."

"As an answer to your question, I don't have the loathing towards you that Aria does, but neither do I support what you and your friends do. You have made several of the Slytherin's lives a living hell. I understand that some of them deserve it, but that does not make it right. And as for Lily… you brought up her not wanting to lose us because of this. Why would she worry about that? It's true that she had no part in deciding her fate, so why would we begrudge her the hand that destiny has dealt her?"

"So you won't turn your back on her because I am her mate?" James' eyes were begging her to stay by Lily's side.

Sage nodded, "I won't give up on a six year friendship because of something that Lily had no power over. She is too important to me for that, but that doesn't mean you and I are friends either. If you have honestly changed, which she insists that you have, I may change my mind. Make sure she is happy though." She gazed at him not blinking until he nodded. Her grey eyes were as hard as steel and James was relieved that they agreed on keeping Lily happy. As quiet as she was Sage was the one that terrified him the most; he never knew what she was thinking and knew that she would be a formidable enemy.

Lily groaned and shifted.

"Get out of here, I won't tell Aria about the two of you and will do my best to keep her reined in, but it will ease Lily's heart if she knows that I know. Go down to dinner," Sage ordered James as she saw the first signs of Lily waking up. James did as she said and left the common room moments before Lily's emerald green eyes opened. She stretched and glanced at the clock.

"Air wake up! We have to get down to dinner. Unless you don't want food of course," Lily cursed as she kicked Aria who was still sleeping on the floor.

"I didn't do it!" Aria shouted as she popped up off the ground, "oh, just kidding."

"Do you guys want to eat or not?" Lily shouted from the entrance. Sage and Aria just looked at each other and ran after the redheaded friend.

"Why didn't you wake us up?" Aria asked Sage as they jogged down the halls.

"I fell asleep too. I only woke up a minute or two before the two of you."

The three girls managed to make into the great hall before the end of dinner and threw themselves down onto the bench and began loading their plates. They had been late a couple of times before and had the food disappear from under their forks just as they were about to start eating, and that was an experience they had learned to avoid. Although they knew how to get into the kitchens, they didn't like eating in there all of the time.

They wolfed down their food like starving teenage boys and grabbed their books in order to head to the library to finish the homework that was due the next day. It was quiet in the big open space and when Lily entered the library she took a deep breath in. She loved the smell of all of the books that lived on the ceiling high shelves. This was one of the places that she used to come for comfort before she had found her other self, and realized that nowhere was going to be more comforting than water whether she had fins or not. Another place had been the astronomy tower, but along with her love for water, her fear of heights had grown exponentially. She could no longer go all the way to the top of it. The inevitable urge to look down left her shaking and paralyzed in fear. The last time she had tried it had taken James, Sirius and Remus, almost ten minutes to get her to crawl out of the observatory and into the stairwell leading back down. With the loss of her up high thinking place where she could look at the stars she had been forced to find another, but over time she had realized that while she was swimming in the lake all she had to do was flip onto her back and drift. She could see the gigantic expanse that was the night sky speckled with stars and immediately always feel at peace.

Peace was something that she was not feeling at the present moment. Aria and Sage had begun throwing crumpled up bits of parchment at each other for no apparent reason and because she was sitting in between them, Lily was getting caught in the crossfire. She managed to write about half a foot on the parallelisms between a few of the different animal wife myths, among them the swan maiden and selkies, but when she was smacked in the forehead with parchment she crumpled up one of her spare empty sheets after ripping it in two and effectively shut the two of them up by hitting both on the head.

"Ummmm, what was that for?" Sage looked innocently at Lily.

"Just stop it and get to work." Lily focused back on her paper.

Sage and Aria looked at each other and snorted, "yes mum."

After that only the scratching of quills and the occasional giggle were heard.

It was late by the time the three of them finished writing, but the upside to having the head girl as their best friend was that they could get away with walking back to their dormitory without worrying about getting in trouble. Lily walked her two best friends back to the Gryffindor dormitory and fully expected both to enter right away, but when Sage hesitated for a moment, Aria entered alone.

"I did a bit of reading and it has been more then two weeks since your birthday…" Sage's voice was quiet. Her words left Lily reeling. Had she found out?

"The book said that elementals need to find their mates within the two week transition period and solidify the first bond, or risk the destruction of the elemental. You know who your mate is," the words formed a statement, not a question.

Lily nodded, afraid the damage had been done and Sage was now preparing to sever their friendship because she had hidden the truth from them.

"Yes. I do know, but I didn't want to tell you because he is not exactly the person that you would expect."

"Does he make you happy?" At her friends question Lily nodded.

"Happier than I have ever been. We are still learning about each other for sure, but I do care about him and I know he cares about me."

Sage smiled, "that's all that I can ask of him. Be careful who you tell about you though. There were a couple of paragraphs in the book that spoke of what would be done with elementals that were caught. They were experimented upon and used for actions particular to their species. Veelas in particular stood out, they were kept by somebody rich who bought them and then used as sex slaves for the rest of their lives. If they tried to fight back or refuse then their mates were hurt and in some cases killed. I know you are not a veela, but there wasn't anything about what would be done to mermaids. I don't want you getting hurt. Please be careful."

"I hear you, and I will. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner," Lily's voice was earnest as she stared at Sage, who in turn wrapped her arms around her petite friend.

"You and James have my blessing if that means anything to you," tears sprang to Lily's eyes and she had to blink continuously in order to hold them back as her arms tightened around her friend, basically sister; who she now knew that would always be by her side

"It means more than you know. Thank you." Lily pulled back and Sage moved in the direction of the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Don't let your guard down tonight, I've had a bad feeling all day," and with those final ominous words the small brunette was gone.

Lily shook her head in confusion. What had she been talking about? In order to think about it she headed back down the stairs instead of going up to the Head's dorm. The desire to go swimming had been tugging at her heart since she had woken up that morning and as the day had progressed she had gotten grumpy. A quick dip was what she needed. Then she could go to sleep.

The grounds were eerily quiet around her as she strode down to the lake, keeping what Sage had said in mind. Putting the lack of natural sounds out of her mind Lily dove into the dark water. Euphoria filled her as she shone silver and her legs morphed into her tail. There was no greater feeling than that which she was feeling at that moment; the freedom to do anything, explore the unknown and go where she wanted was better than anything, well almost anything, spending time with her mate easily topped that list.

A flex of her powerful tail had her diving deep into the darkness, a twist and she was shooting back up towards that black night sky. She broke the surface and soared through the air, hair flying behind her and body arching to slice back into the water cleanly.

A flash of light had her surfacing not to far from where she had dove back into the water and her head popped up just in time to see a red spell hit where she had been only moments before. A muffled curse of the nonmagical kind brought her attention to the shore. There were about two dozen people in black cloaks with their hoods up and white masks on their faces scanning the surface. One shouted and pointed their wand at her while sending a jet of light in her direction. She dove down and swore. Sage's feelings had never been wrong before, so why had she not taken this one 100 percent seriously? She should have at least told somebody where she was going. The Death Eaters were looking for her and they were between her and the castle. It was too late to hope that somebody would see and get help. Lily was on her own.

Another flash brought her attention back to the issue at hand. Without having her head above water, Lily could see that the Death Eaters were now hovering above the water, hunting for her. She could hide, but they would eventually find her and there was a castle full of children not to far away. She had to do something.

~A few minutes before~

James was just falling asleep in his bed when fear shot through him. It was mind numbing terror that would have made him freeze if not for his quidditch reflexes and the fact that he ran with a werewolf once a month. He lunged for his wand and scanned the room, but came up empty. There was nothing there. His heart was still racing and the fear was still there, but now it was laced with determination. Then it struck him. These feelings weren't his, they were Lily's. For her to be scared meant that something was very, very wrong. He opened his senses, but couldn't get a strong enough feeling of where she was. He had to get to her. He threw on a shirt and bolted out of the portrait hole in the general direction of her magical signature.

~back with Lily~

The water surrounded her, both calming in its sanctuary, and terrifying in its prison. If she surfaced than they would get her, but they would get her if she stayed down here for much longer. The water pulsed around her. The water! She was an elemental! Not only that, but Lily had a stronger affinity for the water itself because of what species she was.

Lily took a deep breath in and used her water magic to propel herself up and out of the water, into the sky. Being held up by a giant pillar, Lily clenched her fists and watched as the liquid below lunged up and consumed a few of the Death Eaters. One of the remaining ones dodged the water and rose up until they were at the same eye level. Lily continued sucking the Death Eaters into the water below and using the water around her to create an almost impenetrable shield.

"Surrender! My master wants you alive. No harm will come to you if you willingly give in." The distinctively male voice rang out in the darkness.

Lily smirked, "why would I want to do that? I can easily take you down." She had to take the rest of them out quickly. The power she was harnessing wasn't hard to use, but this early in her elemental life, it was draining. And she had already been tired when she had gone out there. Her vision was starting to blur around the edges and she knew she had to halt the power soon, or risk exhausting her energy stores. What was she going to do?

'James where are you?'

~James~

'James where are you?'

The voice of his mate was clear in his head as he galloped towards the lake. With her voice came a picture; high above the lake, supported by a water pillar and with Death Eaters surrounding her.

'I am almost there. Hang on."

James increased his speed in the direction that his heart pulled him, the direction of Lily.

~Lily~

Much of her vision had lost clarity and Lily was forced to swim back down through her pillar into the dark lake below. The only bright light now was that she knew that James would be there soon. She just had to make it until then. She stopped moving long enough to take a breath in and shrieked when a hand reached through the water and grabbed her arm. Her other one was quickly apprehended as well, before she could send an elemental arrow through her captors, and she hung between two of Voldemort's followers above the surface of the lake, unable to do anything, completely helpless. Lily was holding none of her own weight; she was already so tired that she was almost unconscious. The Death Eaters brought her over to the shore and unceremoniously dropped her to the ground.

"How many did we lose?" One of the men asked.

"She took down about fifteen of us before we got her. He is not going to be pleased about that."

A movement out of the corner of her eye had Lily turning her head. James was in the bushes not too far away. The sight of her mate bolstered her strength and she found the will to sit up and throw her arms in front of her summoning the last of her magic in the effort. Three robed men flew into tree trunks due to a sudden intense wind, two more were pierced by arrows made of fire, another completely frozen solid. James stunned the other three and rushed towards her. He picked her up and ran towards the castle.

"Expecto Petronum! Get Dumbledore to the hospital wing as soon as possible," James ordered the silver glowing lion that manifested from his wand. He then rushed to the hospital wing with the pale, shivering girl in his arms. When he entered the wing, he yelled for Madam Pomfrey and lay Lily on the nearest bed before collapsing in the chair beside it, never letting her hand go.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I didn't make it in time."

The healer checked over the elemental, scanning her with her wand, which glowed pale grey.

"She will be just fine Mr. Potter. Magical exhaustion. Now you will tell me how her entire magical stores are drained. How did that happen?"

"I'm afraid I can answer that Poppy. Ms. Evans was attacked." The headmaster strode into the hospital wing quickly and moved to the side of Lily's bed.

Madam Pomfrey gasped, "attacked! By what?"

"Death Eaters. We apprehended six of them down by the lake. Three with severe bone damage, another frozen solid and two more that were stunned. Unfortunately we did not get there early enough and three more managed to get away." Dumbledore's eyes were grave, "we don't know how they got onto the Hogwarts grounds though. Now Mr. Potter, were you with her when they attacked?"

Without taking his eyes off the pale redhead, James shook his head, "no, I was woken up by the fear that she was feeling and used our bond to find her."

"Well it is a good thing that you did. She will be a little stronger now, but now that Voldemort knows for sure that she is here, he will not relent. You must always be on guard from this point on and stay together as much as you can."

His words drifted through the open window and a voice sighed.

"It has begun. They have defied him once."

_So that is chapter 12. I am on a break from school while I am writing this chapter, so I will work at getting more typed up._

_Over 800 hits in the first 2 days after my last update and only 3 reveiws? Really? You are starving this poor wannabe author. I need more sustenance! Give it to me!_

_Do please review. I really do want to know what you think. Sorry it took it this long to get a bit more exciting._

_RandR please!_

_Amber Eagle_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter. The genius that it does belong to is named J.K Rowling.

Chapter started: April 28, 2012

Chapter finished: May 31, 2012

Chapter posted: May 31, 2012

The next morning Lily opened her eyes to see that she was in the hospital wing…again. She groaned and brought her hands up to her face as she sat up to scrub the sleep out of them. A glance down at the right side of her bed showed James sleeping with his head on his left arm, breathing deeply, with his right hand on her knee. A smile graced her face at the sight of the man who had come to mean so much to her. His sleep clouded hazel eyes flickered open as she gently ran her hands through his hair.

"We have to stop meeting like this," Lily grinned cheekily at him.

His eyes widened and any sign of sleep faded as he leapt to his feet and framed her face with his hands. "I am so sorry. If I had made it there sooner-" Lily placed her fingers over his lips to hush his words.

"It's okay. We both survived. Let's just not do that again." Wrapping her arms around his neck forced James to drop his own so they rested on her back.

"I'm so glad that you are alright," James whispered against the top of her hair.

"Miss Evans, how are you feeling this lovely morning?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she walked up to the embracing couple who let each other go as she stopped beside the bed. Lily smiled.

"Pretty good, so can I go to eat please?"

"Let me check your magical stores and if they are at an adequate level then you may go." The mediwitch flicked her wand and held it over the redhead's body. The tip glowed a strong green colour and with a shrug she helped the young woman to her feet.

"Your stores are not yet full, but they should be by lunch today. Your magical regeneration is an amazingly increased pace compared to the average witch or wizard. You may go to class, but don't overexert yourself." With those final words she retreated back to her office.

"Hey James? Last night how did you know I needed you?" Lily asked him as she began changing her clothing behind the closed curtain. She saw her school bag on the table beside her bed underneath a clean change of cloths and knew that somebody must have grabbed it after she had been brought there. She remembered dropping it beside the lake the night before when she was about to dive into the water.

"I don't honestly know, I was feeling your fear and saw through your eyes that you were in danger and came to you."

Lily's thought turned back to when she was learning about what she was and what her book had told her.

_~flashback~_

_**The second bond is one that connects your minds. It is established when you have a sense of where the other is and when they are in danger.**_

_~end flashback~_

"We've forged the second bond, at least partially, I think. You were able to find me when I was in danger. I was also able to hear you when you were talking to me. Did you mean to?" Lily pulled the curtain aside once she was decent and saw James nodding at her words.

"I hoped my thoughts would reach you. You needed to know that I was coming, that I would never let anything happen to you." James' words brought tears to Lily's eyes and she wrapped her arms around him again.

"Thank you."

A first warning bell chimed and they released each other, grabbed their bags and went running out of the hospital wing in the direction of their first class. Lily saw Sage and Aria walking down the hallway up ahead and brushed James' hand with her own before slowing down next to them.

"Where were you? We didn't see you at breakfast," Aria looked at Lily critically.

"I slept in a bit." That technically was not a lie. Lily would tell her friends the story when they were alone. She also still had to figure out how to tell Aria that she knew who her mate was. That was a conversation that she as not looking forward too. She would tell her soon though. That was one discussion that shouldn't wait too much longer.

Lily sat down with her friends in potions and placed her bag on the table in front of her. Professor Slughorn ambled down the aisle.

"Don't unpack anything yet. I will assign your potions partners for the next month and you will go sit next to them before beginning today's potion. When your name is called find your partner and sit down. Bones and Brown, Lupin and Black, Evans and Williams," Sirius moved over to Remus and Lily did the same with Sage. The next two names made silence fall over the room and all eyes to move to the two people involved.

"Samuels and Potter." Aria was frozen in horror and James was watching her apprehensively. Professor Slughorn continued calling out names, but not many people were listening.

"Of all the people in this room and he sticks me with him!" Aria was furious and refusing to move. Her arms were crossed and her leg was bouncing quickly. Lily glanced over at James and motioned him over to them. There was room for four, so Lily and Sage, and Aria and James would all be able to work at the same table. He gathered his things, muttered something to his friends and trudged over slowly.

"Just handle it for today. These are our partners for the next month. You can last that long." Sage's voice was soothing as she placed her stuff on the blonde's left.

Aria huffed, "he might not though. First time he steps over the line he will find his wand up his nose."

James chuckled as he set his books down to her right. "I'll watch that line then. I wouldn't want my wand to hang out of my nose. That might be a little uncomfortable."

Aria ignored him and began cutting the newt tail with a bit more force than required, all the while muttering under her breath about pureblood pricks with stupid hair and glasses.

The pureblood part made Lily take a moment and think. Aria herself was a pureblood, so why was she so against it? As far as she knew the blonde's hate for the Marauders stemmed from when she lived beside James and he had spent years making her look bad in front of his parents and even her own occasionally. Nothing big came to mind, however, which would make Aria hate James with her entire being. This could potentially be a problem. She would have to watch the two of them.

Over the period of the class potions were made, hexes were thrown and cauldrons exploded. Aria and James caused two of them. Watching them fight although tough for Lily to stomach, as she knew there was no jest involved, was highly entertaining. When Aria hit James with the first hex Sage had to hold Lily down in her seat in order to prevent her friend from killing the blonde. Nothing could stop the low growl from emitting from her throat though. It was low enough that nobody else could hear it except the brunette at her side, but that didn't stop her from wanting to lunge at her longtime friend in order to protect the man that she had come to care for.

"Lily you have to calm down. You are making the room heat up and the other people will notice. You have to stop." Sage's voice was urgent in her ear.

Lily heard what was being said and tore her eyes away from the other pair at their table as she took calming breaths. Her heart slowed down and eventually the temperature in the dungeon lowered back down to normal.

She had never had a response like that regarding the people around her mate before. As she thought the previous month through, she realized that the only people that had been around him were his friends, none of which she would have to worry about hurting him. She was going to have to learn to control her emotions quickly lest she try to cook anybody that looked at James wrong. It was a sobering thought. She could do so much damage with little thought. Apparently being an elemental wasn't all positive.

Lily was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't see the cauldron in front of the arguing pair beg into bubble and turn a startling shade of red, when it was supposed to be blue. There was almost no warning before the liquid was released in an explosion that would have hurt everybody had Slughorn not thrown a shield around the table, but not before sharp bits of cauldron hit the four of them. They had ducked, and James had thrown himself in front of Lily, but the shrapnel was just a hint faster. Aria had a cut across her forehead and smaller scratches on her hands that were mirrored in the other three as well.

Sage was shaken, but seemed to be uninjured, as well as Lily. James however, was lying on the stone floor and his eyes were closed. There was red potion laying on the ground around him.

"What in the world did you do to that dream potion?" Professor Slughorn lowered the shield and rushed to them. He glanced at the liquid on the ground and rubbed his fingers through it. The professor brought it to his nose and took a whiff.

"I don't know, We had just added the last ingredient on the list and got a bit distracted," Aria spoke quietly.

"What were the last three ingredients you added?"

"Mandrake root, fairy wing and the diced newt tail-"

"Newt tail? The ingredient was eye of newt not the tail! The sweet dream potion has become an everlasting nightmare. Whoever gets this on them will fall into a deep sleep and will become unresponsive until they wither away. Although this is not a potent one, lacking the true malicious ingredient, it will still be harmful to those it comes in contact with." Lily's eyes widened and her heart rate increased as she processed what the professor was saying.

"Professor, James had the potion spilled on him! What does that mean for him?" Lily was frantic as she shook him in order to try and wake him up. There was no change however.

"We must get him to the hospital wing right away. Madam Pomfrey might be able to help him." The large older man flicked his wand and cast a quick levitating spell and sent James to the infirmary with Lily, Sage, Aria, Sirius, Remus and Peter running at his side. Aria was not running because she cared, not by any stretch of the imagination. She was keeping up with Lily and Sage all the while asking them why they were running like the hounds of hell were on their heels. They ignored her and continued moving.

"Miss Evans has something else happened? It is odd to see you in here more than once a day." Madam Pomfrey gasped when she saw James floating behind the group of teenagers unconscious and pale.

"What happened?" She rushed to place him on a bed and quickly checked him over.

"Nightmare potion… accident," Sirius was gasping for air. He may be fit, but even that run was tough to do. Running from the dungeons up a bunch of floors to the hospital wing left him breathing quickly.

"A nightmare potion? That potion is never supposed to be made in any class. It is one of the darker potions! How did this happen?"

"We accidentally used newt tail instead of the eye. Professor Slughorn said that it was missing the truly malicious ingredient though," Aria said quietly. Those were the only words that she spoke before she left the room.

The mediwitch sighed in relief, "it is missing the ingredient that makes it specific for one wizard. Once made personal, the nightmare would be that much worse. This potion has been known to make people lose their minds and become completely unresponsive. They shut down and send their minds into the abyss in order to escape the pain."

"So he will wake up? He is not going to die?" Lily was almost frantic. Seeing this Remus walked to her side and put his hands on her shoulders and bent down a little to look into her eyes.

His voice was hard and left no room for argument, "he will be fine. James is stronger than this. You know that better then anybody, just as you would be the first to know if he was not going to make it."

Lily nodded and Remus hugged her quickly before letting her move to the bedside.

Madame Pomfrey was looking at her thoughtfully, "what stage of the bonding process have you achieved Miss Evans?"

"Why is this relevant? Can't you just fix him? Please!"

"I may need your help. According to what happened last night, I can assume that the second bond has been formed-"

"Not completely, it only began forming last night. It needs more time!"

"All the same, even a partially formed second bond will help him. Do you feel that he is in danger?"

Lily focused all of her thought on the black haired teenager in front of her. There was a black pulsing ball in the back of her mind that she knew was her attachment to him. It had shone with a strong golden light when she had woken up that morning. She sent her mind into the sphere and was immediately surrounded by darkness. There were an overwhelming sense of failure and sadness, but there was also fear tied in.

"He's afraid, but not in any immediate external danger. What does that mean?" Lily stared at the white haired woman.

"I am going to need you to send your subconscious into his mind. He is in the middle of one of his worst nightmares and you must pull him out of it in order to wake him up."

"How am I supposed to send my subconscious into him? Aren't our minds supposed to be the one thing that nobody can get a hold of?"

"Just as your actions can be controlled while you are under the imperious curse, your mind can also be invaded. However it is different for the two of you. You are true soul mates and that means that your souls were created from the same flame. It is called the mate flame principle. All you need to know right now is that you can send your mind into his and wake him up. There are risks involved though. There is a chance that you will be sucked into the nightmare as well and then there will be no chance of waking either of you up. One more thing, if you find yourself unable to get to him, don't let the darkness get inside you. It has only been recorded once in the past, but the person that took it in then became a living nightmare. Anybody that came close to them suffered their own personal nightmare."

Hearing this Sage reached for her friend, tears forming in her eyes, "no! lily there has to be another way! Don't do it."

Lily steeled her nerves and nodded, "anything for him."

With those words she sat on the chair beside the bed and searched for her mate's mind. When she found it, she paused. It was as dark as their bond had become and there were black tendrils writhing through the air around him. With no more hesitation she threw her mind into the dark.

_~in the real world~_

Lily's body slumped onto the bed and everybody seemed to break down. Madame Pomfrey thanked whatever deity that listened that there were no other students injured during that period as the four students still conscious lost it.

Sage sobbed and her legs trembled before they gave out completely and she fainted. Sirius, a shell of his normal mischievous self, was close enough that he was able to catch her as she slumped and he gently placed the brunette onto the bed beside the redhead that was risking everything for the person that meant the world to her.

Remus was fighting a battle with himself, the beast was angry that two of the people that he cared about were in grave danger and he could do absolutely nothing. If there was one thing that the wolf hated it was being helpless. His muscles bulged and he grabbed an empty flask and threw it at the wall with a grunt. The sound of the shattering glass broke the stillness in the room.

Peter was curled up with tears running down his face as he stared off into the distance and tried not to look at the pair of unconscious teens on the bed.

_~Lily and James~_

The darkness surrounded her and brought with it a sense of foreboding, but Lily shoved it aside all the while keeping her mind on her search for James. She used their bond and immediately felt the draw. Even without the bond she would have been able to find him. The draw was bringing her towards the deepest pit in the darkness, where she could barely see a foot in front of her. She could see James wrapped in a cocoon of tendrils and it was only once she got closer that she could hear what he was muttering to himself.

"I didn't get there in time. I was the one that caused it. It was because of me. I'm so sorry."

Lily moved to his side and was finally able to see a shadowy form of herself hovering in front of him. The shadow Lily was weaving a scene in which he was dead and she had been left alone, defenceless and it was all his fault. She had arrived too late to save him and she was dieing because of that. He was alone, floating in the darkness, without her, Sirius, Remus and Peter around him. There was nobody in this world because he wasn't good enough. He wasn't good enough to live, even if it was for her sake. He wasn't good enough for his friends to stay by his side. He was alone. His grief at the scene brought tears to Lily's eyes. His biggest nightmare was losing the people around him and being alone.

His gaze was fuzzy when it landed on her and he shook even harder, "why do you torment me this way? I know that I couldn't save you! There was nothing I could do."

"James… it's me. I am not dead. You didn't fail me or anybody else."

"Stop telling me that! I saw you laying there, dead. It was my fault!" James clasped his head in his hands and slammed his eyes shut.

Lily was hesitant to touch him as she was not yet sure of the effect that it would have on the nightmare around them, but she couldn't seem to hold herself back from placing her hand on his shoulder. Her fingers gripped his skin hard and he raised his eyes to look at her face. The contact had done some of what she had found herself unable to do with words. It had helped him realize that she was not just another illusion, that she was real. Even though he had no idea what was real anymore.

"Listen to me James. Is there a memory in your mind that feels like it doesn't belong? A memory that feels different than all the other memories and seems to be fading? Think," her voice was soft and it seemed to weave around him.

His face scrunched up while he fought with the memories, "darkness creeping in as I died… no, that's not right, seeing you dieing because I died. That one feels the same as the other one. The one that feels different is potions class."

"What about potions?"

"Fighting with Aria and… an explosion? What happened?" James' eyes opened again and Lily could immediately see the difference in them. They were clearing, the pain beginning to seep out of them.

"A mistaken ingredient made it the wrong potion. The sweet dream potion became a diluted nightmare potion. I need you to wake up. Please James. Don't leave me alone again. Even if your body is there, if your mind is gone it is the same as being alone. You said that you would never leave me. I am holding you to that."

In order for him to truly wake up he would have to face his fears and make them dissipate. He would have to confront his fear of losing her and being alone again.

"I've been alone so long, Lily. Sure, I had Sirius, Remus and Peter, but I was alone inside. Unable to share everything with them. Alone within myself knowing, feeling that I would never find that one thing in the world that was meant to be mine. Then suddenly something was mine, you were mine." The possessive tone had her blinking back at him in surprise.

"You are mine. This nightmare was the worst thing that I could imagine happening; everything inside me locks down in fear of losing you, of leaving you alone because suddenly I had something to lose, and the very thought terrifies me. I know what it is like to be alone and I need you to know that as long as I am here you will never have to experience that. If there is one thing that I will achieve in this lifetime it is making you happy and being at your side for as long as I am able to be. I care for you Lily, and nothing will change that."

Lily's heart began to race. Not in excitement, or adventure, but in hope. With each of his words the darkness was lightening and fading away.

She placed her hands on his cheeks and said clearly, "I was never worried about being alone, as long as you live and we are together, even if we are separated by distance our souls will be together. We are two halves of the same whole. No matter what happens we will be together, never alone again."

His eyes closed as he smiled and turned his head to lay a light kiss on her palm. His outline faded and she was left staring at nothing. This nothing didn't scare her anymore though. It was light and she could see a string connecting her to her mate. She could feel him at the other end and knew that his mind was his own again. Lily closed her own eyes and pulled on the bond, drawing herself back to him and her awaiting body.

_There is chapter 13! This one took a bit longer than the past couple but it is finished now._

_Thanks to all of you that are reading this and an extra hug to those that are reviewing. I do like knowing what you think._

_The next chapter might take some time because I have exams coming up and work and everything, but I am definitely not abandoning this story._

_Amber Eagle_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter. The genius that does is J.K. Rowling.

Chapter started: June 11 2012

Chapter finished: September 27 2012

Chapter posted: September 27 2012

James opened his eyes and winced at the amount of bright light that immediately assaulted them. His ears began to work soon after and he heard snarls coming from Remus as his friend fought to get to his bed around the mediwitch fearlessly standing in his way.

"Mr Lupin! I beg of you! Please calm down. If it worked they will be waking up any moment. Give me a bit of space to work in." The only response was a growl as he once again tried to dodge around her.

"Don't make me sedate you!" Her attitude at that moment showed why most people did what she said with no questions asked. James groaned and the werewolf growling at her became a mere thought in the back of her mind as Madame Pomfrey rushed over to him.

"What's going on?" James' tongue was dry and his voice was rough as he spoke.

"Miss Evans was successful; you are awake and right at this point that is all that matters," she was interrupted by a growl from the sandy hair werewolf behind her.

"Remus, stop!" His voice grew stronger as he silenced his friend and glanced at the bed beside him. Lily was lying on the white sheets completely still. Only the slight movement of her chest proved that she was still alive. Suddenly she sat up quickly and screamed. The sound was so full of fear and desperation that everybody froze before scanning to see the room to search for the source.

"Mister Potter, I know it hurts but you have to come to her side! She needs to know that you are alright." Madame Pomfrey rushed back towards them with a couple of potions in her arms which she then dropped onto the table before holding Lily down to the bed. The redhead was thrashing about and even James' hands and voice did nothing to stop her.

"You must stop! That will only hurt her. I can help you bring her back," a clear female voice called from near the window. James turned without letting go of his mate's hands and saw nothing there.

"Who are you?" He replied in a tense voice.

"A friend." The voice was nearer now, but he could still see nothing. Some papers rustled in a slight breeze. Remus was snarling uncontrollably now, sensing that his pack, his family was in danger and Sirius was standing silently at attention behind James. Madame Pomfrey was about to give Lily a potion when it went flying out of her hand and hit the wall shattering on impact.

"I told you that proceeding with that will only hurt her. I can help you bring her back if you will let me."

"Where are you?" The only answer to Sirius' question was a figure shimmering into sight right in front of them. He drew his wand and held it steady as he stared at her with hard eyes.

"Sirius stop. Who are you?" James' voice was as calm as it could be, knowing that his mate's life was in danger…again.

"As I said, I am a friend. Your mate found something of mine a while ago. A book, with a letter inside of it. A letter signed Corliss. Your mate then heard a voice on the wind. That voice was my own. I was the last born of the mermaids of my inheritance line. I had no children of my own and all of the females that had inherited the blood had already been hunted down. At the time that I wrote the letter in the book I had no idea if there were any of us left." James' eyes widened and he ushered her forward.

"That means that you are an elemental as well. You can help her."

Corliss nodded, "but everybody else has to leave the room. This is only for you and your mate. It is forbidden to show this to anyone else."

At these words Sirius raised his wand again, "we will not leave him. That will just give you an opportunity to take him away."

"Sirius do you care about me?" Sirius nodded right away.

"Lily is my life. If anything happens to her I won't be the same person. That is why I will do anything possible to save her. I need you to trust me on this. Plus if Corliss holds even a portion of Lily's power she can roast you in a second. Please," his eyes were pleading with his friend and once the four boys locked gazes, Sirius lowered his wand, Remus stopped growling and Peter stood and grabbed Sirius' arm to drag him out of the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey flicked her wand and the still unconscious Sage floated out of the room as well. Soon it was just the thrashing redhead, her anxious mate and the transluscent figure hovering between them.

"Help her please."

Corliss moved to the redhead's side, speaking as she did, "in the past when somebody was found to have the blood inheritance then they would immediately be paired with an older elemental of the same species ranking or a higher one to be taught control and self preservation techniques. Because there are so few elementals left and almost no mermaids remaining your mate was left to fend for herself. She is the reason that I have remained behind, not moving on. Somebody has to teach her what she needs to know."

As she spoke she laid her hands on either side of Lily's head and the younger girl stopped moving.

"What are you doing?" James was still worried, but the fear lessened when the tightness around her face slackened and went blank.

"I am transmitting my thoughts into her mind and telling her how to shield her mind from the dark feelings and the invading presence." She spoke slowly as if her mind was indeed someplace else.

"Invading presence? What do you mean? The darkness that was surrounding me?"

Corliss shook her head, "no, there is something else there, but I can't get a hold of it."

All the thoughts of another presence flew out of his thoughts when Lily opened her green eyes and blinked at him slowly.

"Where am I?" she looked around and groaned. "I might as well set up a cot in here and never leave. I am definitely here enough."

"I'm so glad that you are alright." James wrapped her in his arms and held her tight. Her small hands rubbed his back reassuring him that she was okay.

"James? We're not alone." Her voice was low and she pulled away a little bit.

"I know. Lily, do you remember the letter you found in that book? This is Corliss."

"But-"

"Use your senses. I trusted her and she brought you back to me."

Lily let her mind expand and what she felt when she found the place the woman was standing in made tears come to her eyes. She found acceptance, the desire to help, loneliness and the need to search for something, somebody.

Corliss took a step forward and placed her hand over Lily's that had fallen into her lap when James had pulled away completely.

"I can help you. As I was telling your mate earlier, in the past new elementals would get a mentor of sorts in their new abilities. One of the reasons that I have not moved on was so that I could be yours."

Lily nodded. Her mind whirling at the thought of being able to learn more about herself and her heritage. Then it stuck on something that the other woman had said.

"One of the reasons?"

"I am unable to find completion until I have been reunited with my mate. As you know, a mermaids ultimate power stems from the bond that she shares with her mate. Because of what happened I don't feel the draw to him anymore, but our bond is still there. I hope. I just can't find him with it." Corliss' face tightened her eyes deep blue pools of sorrow.

"What happened?" James asked quietly.

The woman shook her head, "now is not the time. Maybe another day."

Lily could sense that she was not going to talk about it tonight, so she moved the conversation to a more acceptable topic.

"You said that you could help? Help with what exactly?"

"Teaching you how to harness your abilities to their full potential and coaching you in the ways of the elemental. With so few of us left, it is important that we keep the heritage alive."

"Are there any more mermaids?"

"I haven't come across one until you. I was the last of my inheritance line, but that does not mean that there aren't others. Are you up for some history or should it wait?"

Lily thought for a moment, "I'm not sure, but we need to deal with our friends first."

"As you wish. Time is of the essence however, and there are many things that you must learn. Just call my name when you are ready." With a shimmer Corliss disappeared.

Lily stood slowly and James wrapped an arm around her waist to give her some extra support. They walked to the doors and opened them quietly. The scene outside was a little shocking to say the least. Sirius had Remus pinned to the ground and Madame Pomfrey was waving her wand above them. Sage had been propped up against the wall and was now awake and watching apprehensively.

"What's going on?" Lily asked the brunette in a low voice as she slid down the wall beside her.

Sage gasped and threw her arms around the petite redhead, "I'm so glad that you are okay. We got out here and Remus started going nuts so Sirius had to help Madame Pomfrey subdue him. It took both of them to calm him down. Did you know that he is a…?" Lily saw where her friend was going with that comment and knew that she had to explain, at least until Remus could speak for himself.

"Werewolf? Yes, I found out a while back, but that doesn't change who he is. He is still the mischievous, hardworking teenage boy that we have known for years."

Sage nodded, "I know. If I can accept you for what you are, why wouldn't I accept him for something that isn't his choice? You know me better than that."

Lily nodded, "you're right. I do know you. You are going to have to talk to him though."

"I will. Go help your mate calm down the wolf."

Without another word Lily stood and moved to the werewolf's side. She placed herself at his level and stared into his eyes, "back down. There is no need for a fight."

Her words were accompanied by a portion of her power, not to overwhelm or intimidate, but to assert her dominance over the wolf. His hackles rose, but the growling stopped, and the fangs were covered. Lily stood and watched as Remus came back to himself. He shook his head, as if there was water in his ears and groaned.

"Mister Lupin! I implore you not to lose control again! The situation could have gone from bad to catastrophic in a matter of moments." Madame Pomfrey felt that it was safe to approach once again and checked his vitals.

"Extenuating circumstances. It won't happen again." The blonde grunted from his place on the floor, while Sirius stood stiffly and moved to Sage's side. His body slid down the wall until he was also sitting on the stone floor.

"Please don't tell anybody about him. All of the professors know and the other students don't need to fear him. If you feel like you can no longer be around him at least talk to him first. What you do is up to you though." Sirius gazed into the brunettes eyes.

Sage nodded, "I know that he isn't any different than the Remus that I have known throughout school. Don't worry."

"You are much wiser then your years Miss Williams," blue eyes gazed over half moon spectacles and twinkled merrily at the group in various positions in the hallway. "Now if I may suggest we take this back into the hospital wing and out of the hallway?"

"James and I are going to do a bit of research. We'll see you guys later." Before leaving she knelt next to Sage and whispered something in her ear and when the brunette nodded she stood fluidly and walked away with James at her side.

They walked back to the heads dorm and Lily called out, "Corliss! We are alone. Please reveal yourself."

A figure shimmered into sight in front of them. A gentle smile on her face, "there's no need to yell. I am always around you. Are you ready to begin?"

Lily glanced at James and he nodded and opened his mouth.

"You mentioned earlier that all of the females in your inheritance line had been hunted down. Are there no males of the species?"

Corliss smiled, "yes there are, however females are the only ones that pass on the gene. It may pass through to a son, but it will end with him. Daughters will pass it through to their children. That is one of the reasons that there were so few of us to begin with. Between the merfolk that did not find their mates and the ending of the line at the males, not many of us were able to pass on the inheritance."

"Through the females? My mother isn't a mermaid! I am a muggleborn!" the path that this conversation was making Lily consider things that she never wanted to think about.

"Is it possible that you were adopted?" James looked at his mate and swore inwardly at the stricken look on her face.

She shook her head vehemently. "Not a possibility, I have a picture of me in my mothers arms on the day I was born."

Corliss placed a hand on hers, "If your lineage is that important to you, we just have to go back through your line. It is not an uncommon occurrence for the gene to skip a generation or more. It needs enough magic in the blood or it doesn't hold."

"I do want to know, but right now I don't if I will like what I find. If-" She was interrupted by James.

"If. That isn't a guarantee."

Lily nodded and placed the thought out of her mind for now. She gave Corliss her attention once again.

"From what I have seen you already have sufficient control over the use of your powers, but your mental defences are easily bypassed. What I would like to show you today is an elemental branch of occlumency. Earlier there was another presence in your mind, they got in through legilimency. Your mental defences were already down because you were in James' mind, but the elemental branch will teach you how to keep your own guard up, but tune certain people in."

"Okay."

"I will explain the basics to you and I have noticed that you have an aptitude for mental intelligences, those will help you greatly in this endeavour."

The next couple of hours passed in a blur for the two teens. When the three finally stopped it was dark outside and Lily was exhausted, but she was able to keep a solid guard up on her mind. James was learning regular occlumency and he was able to hide his mind as well.

"Corliss I am exhausted. My mental reserves aren't going to take much more of this."

"You already lasted much longer than I thought you would be able to on the first day. We will stop here for tonight and continue at another time. You have good control and a substantial block now. The invading mind will have to be a master of legilimency to get into your brain, but you will be able to feel them and prepare the appropriate internal defences ahead of time."

With those final words Corliss disappeared and Lily blew out a breath and fell back onto the bed. She fisted her hand in the back of James' shirt and the happenings of that day hit her like a ton of bricks.

"You okay?" James was a bit surprised at the rioting emotions inside the redhead and when she sat back up and leaned into him, he wrapped an arm around her waist and placed her legs over his own and seated her in his lap. She snuggled into his chest and whispered something too low for him to hear.

"What was that?"

"I'm so glad that you are okay. Don't leave okay?"

James put his fingers under her chin and brought her gaze up until it met with his. "Never. You mean too much to me for that. Don't even think about it anymore. I am yours for the rest of our lives."

"And I'm yours. Don't forget that." Their lips met and sparks flew.

_Oh dear. I am so sorry it took me this long to get this chapter up. I had it about three quarters of the way completed on my computer for three and a half months. I will try to be better about the updating thing. I know lots of you are probably really mad at me for the long wait._

_Review and let me know if you think it gets too mushy, or if there is too much mush._

_Amber Eagle_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter, but the ideas behind this story are all my own.

Chapter started: September 28 2012

Chapter Finished: October 18 2012

Chapter posted: October 18 2012

The next morning Lily woke up and immediately knew that something was different. There was a weight on her waist and heat resonating from behind her. She was not alarmed however as she knew exactly who it was. Along with the heat there was a sense of peace emanating from the body at her back. She tried to sit up, but when she moved his arm tightened and he murmured with a smile in his voice.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Lily twisted around and gazed into his eyes, "I told Sage that I would spend the morning with them. If I'm going to be on time I have to leave soon."

"And if I decide to not let you go? What will you do then?" As he spoke he rolled and drew her on top of him. His eyes glittered in mirth.

She giggled and framed his face with her hands. "If I don't show they will come to get me. I highly doubt that they will understand this." At this she gestured to the position they were in, "I have to change too, I can't believe that we slept in our in our uniforms last night. Mine's going to be all wrinkled."

"You have magic. There has to be a spell for that." He rolled them again, so she was on her back and gave her a chaste kiss before he stood and stretched. "I'll let you go today, no guarantees for next time though."

Lily grinned as she watched him, "why are you so playful today? It's a little odd for you."

"This is the only time we get to be together like this. Why wouldn't I be affectionate? I care about you and nothing will change that. I just can't show it around most people yet."

"I wish we could. Then the other girls would have to keep their hands and eyes off of you. Did you know I almost fried Aria yesterday when she tried to hex you? Sage talked me down."

James laughed. "I did notice that the room got really warm. I thought it was just because I'm so hot though."

"Well you are, but that wasn't the reason. I almost fried one of my best friends because she hexed her enemy. That seems so wrong to me." She shook her head as she moved to the wardrobe and opened the door.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist and a chin fell onto her shoulder.

"What's wrong with protecting somebody that you care about?"

His breath brushed her cheek and his voice stroked her ear and Lily blushed.

"Nothing?" she squeaked. He chuckled and gave her a squeeze before going into the bathroom. She heard his bedroom door shut and let out a sigh. Things seemed to be going well and she would tell Aria soon. As long as it came from her and they both stayed calm it would go alright. Lily had to keep believing that.

A prickle in the back of her mind immediately had her raising her mental defences. Once her walls were up the person stopped trying to get into her mind.

_James, somebody just tried to get through my mental defences._ Lily sent a thought to the man in the next room, which was now possible with the work that she had done with Corliss that night before. According to the older girl their second bond had almost completed and that helped her power control.

_Are you alright?_ His voice was worried when he answered.

_Yes. I shut them out right away. I wasn't expecting anybody to try again so soon. I'll keep my blocks up all the time from now on. _

_Good. Be careful today. Our classes start in a few hours. I'll see you then._

_You too._

Dimming the mental connection Lily finished getting ready and left the Heads dorm in search of her friends. Nothing eventful happened on the hunt, and when she finally found the blonde and brunette they were inhaling an early breakfast in the almost empty Great hall. She sat next to them and loaded up her own plate before grabbing her fork and eating.

"You said you wanted to show us something? Something else?" Sage spoke when all of their food was gone.

Lily nodded, "yeah. Come this way."

The three girls walked down through the grounds to the deserted cove.

"It occurred to me last night that you haven't seen me yet."

"Seen you? We're looking right at you. What do you mean?" Aria was confused and even Sage had a puzzled look on her face.

"No, not this me, the other me."

"Oh, we get to see your tail?"

Sage looked around apprehensively, "are you sure it's okay?"

Lily nodded. "I don't sense anybody around and I think I'm one of the only people that knows about this place. It'll be fine."

"Okay. Go for it."

Without another word Lily walked out into the calm water. When the liquid was lapping at her thighs she took a breath and dove under. Euphoria filled her and she felt her legs morph into the single limb. A powerful flex had her racing upwards as she had sunk a far distance. Once she neared the crest of the water she angled herself towards the shore and without surfacing swam the rest of the distance.

For Sage and Aria it had only been moments since their friend had dove in when she popped out of the water meters away. Their shock and awe was a sight to see.

Lily's fin was a shiny multishade blue and her hair had become more vibrantly red.

"Wow, you look absolutely amazing. Your tail is gorgeous." Aria was in awe of the beauty that was the mermaid in front of her.

"It's actually a fin. Not a tail."

"Oh Lily, it's beautiful." Sage's eyes were wide and she reached out, before catching herself and pulling back.

"You can touch it. It won't hurt me." Lily stretched out her arms and clasped her friends' hands and brought them to her fin. They touched it and giggled.

"You feel like a fish." Aria took her hand back and washed it in the water. "Why is it slimy?"

"So I can do this. See that maple tree on the other shore?" Motioning to the other side of the lake Lily flipped into the water and took off. Seconds later she returned with a maple leaf in her hand.

"That was fast." Sage took the leaf from the redhead and waved her wand at it. The tree on the other shore shone for a second.

"A source spell? You don't trust me?" Lily smirked.

"Well it is a bit unbelievable." Sage grinned back.

"What's so unbelievable about our best friend having a tail?" Aria chuckled.

"A fin. Not a tail." Lily grumbled at the blonde.

"It is a tail."

"It's a fin!" Lily shouted at her laughing friends. As she spoke she flicked her fin and sent a big wave careening over the other two. They shrieked and sent water flying back at her, but a flick of the redheads fingers had the liquid twisting in midair and splashing onto the girls that had sent the initial splash.

"No fair. We can't do that! No magic!" Sage squealed. The lines that her friend said made Lily pause and look at her is disbelief.

"Really? Are you sure?" Aria giggled at the look on Sage's face.

"Yeah. I'm not an elemental! Why would I be able to do that?"

"What about something similar?" Lily smiled.

"No-" Sage was interrupted by a jet of water shooting at her from behind. She whirled and was greeted with the sight of Aria standing there with her wand out and sputtered.

"How did you do that? It's like magic!" Lily and Aria just looked at her with their eyebrows raised.

"Oh… right." Sage whipped out her own wand and the war really began.

At some point Lily's fin faded and the water fight got moved into the woods. They were chasing each other through the trees, dripping wet when Corliss shimmered into sight beside the redhead.

"Are you planning on going to class today?" Her black hair fell in burls down her back and her floor length dress looked really out of place among the trees.

"Aha! I've got you now! Holy crap, who is that?" Aria cackled from behind her and Lily turned just in time to get shot in the face with a jet of water. Corliss chuckled and Sage crept out of the brush behind her.

"I take it you are Corliss?" At the brunette's words she nodded.

"You are correct, and will also be late for class if you don't leave now."

Lily glanced at her watch and yelped. More time had passed then she had thought. She flicked her hand and the water was drawn out of their clothing and soaked into the ground.

The three girls ran back to get the castle and rushed back to their dormitories to grab their bags.

Corliss appeared beside her once again when she was alone in her room and Lily asked the question that had been on her mind since she had changed for her friends.

"When I first came into my inheritance my fin was green, but while I was fighting the death eaters it was red and today it was blue. Why does it keep changing?"

"As your bond with James gets stronger you get more powerful. This power will be reflected in your tail. Not all mermaids had the same tail; they grew and changed as the mermaid did. The tail and fluke stylesc and colours reflect the abilities of the mermaid that wears them."

"What colour is your fin?"

"I don't have the power to shift anymore, but before I was captured it was silver." Her eyes became distant and Lily decided that it may be better to leave the conversation there for the day. She grabbed her bag and left for class.

Time passed slowly for the group and before they knew it September had passed and October had arrived. Aria still didn't know that James was Lily's mate and liked the Marauders no more then she had the month before.

Lily had been waiting for the medallion to show itself, to no avail. Corliss continued to tell her that it would show when they were ready for it, but the wait was making the young elemental anxious. James knew what the medallion was for, but he was able to wait patiently.

Their relationship had progressed as well. James accompanied her down to her late night swims and occasionally joined her in the water as well. When they were in the dorm they were rarely apart.

Separation was something that Lily had learned was difficult. When she and James were not in contact for extended periods of time her skin got tingly and she got grouchy. An irritable elemental made life a bit more interesting, albeit dangerous. There were days when she snapped at everybody that spoke to her and was forced to leave the room because she was running the risk of turning everything in the room to a crisp.

Those days were tough, but when she thought of what happened to her mentor, it put everything in perspective. Corliss had been taken captive and separated from her mate for months. No contact for his protection. The cost had been her life, but if it meant the survival of the one she loved, it was a small price to pay.

Lily had learned much more about her heritage and had been able to trace her inheritance line. It turned out that she was not adopted, but she was not a complete muggleborn either. One of her mother's great-great-great-great-great-great grandmothers had been a mermaid. Her ancestor had also been related to Corliss as well and that had raised questions on it's own. Corliss had believed that she was the last born mermaid of her inheritance line, but it turned out that her older sister had given birth then hidden the child with one of the other mermaid clans in order to protect the bloodline. How the bloodline had survived down ten generations was a mystery, but it appeared as if Lily was the only one in over two hundred years that had enough magic for the gene to take effect.

Lily did not tell her parents what she had learned because she knew that the more they knew the more they would be sought out. This was her burden to carry. No, that was not the right way to put it. Her inheritance was no more a burden then her magic was. And it was not hers alone to carry. She was not alone anymore. She would never be alone again. It wasn't only James either. Her family had increased to include Sirius, Remus, Peter and Sage as well. Aria was also a part of it, but would be fully brought in once she learned that James was her mate.

Lily didn't have any idea how she was going to do that, but she knew that Aria had to be told soon. She was getting suspicious of Lily's unenthusiastic response to the search for her mate and was beginning to wonder where the elemental went when she disappeared by herself.

All of these thoughts were running through Lily's mind as she floated on the surface of the lake starring up at the clear, star infused night sky. The water was getting colder, but it had little effect on the elemental who could just heat the water around her with a thought. Her control was increasing everyday and it was no longer a struggle to block her mind while wielding the elements. At her current power level she could manipulate two of the four elements at any moment while maintaining her mental blockades.

'_James, what am I going to do about Aria? She needs to know about us. I'm getting tired of her trying to help me get close to the other guys in our year in order to sniff them. We will run out of potential mates soon.' _She sent the thought at the figure floating beside her. At her message he twisted his head and reached a hand out, clasping her own in his.

"No matter what happens we'll get through it together. She'll eventually see that I have changed and that you are happy with me. Just tell her tomorrow. It's better that she hears it from you instead of finding out another way." His voice broke through the silence surrounding them and his words made her sink below the surface and draw him under as well. Their hands stay intertwined and everything was blessedly quiet.

'_I know. I'll tell her tomorrow. We've never lied to each other before, and we are not going to start now.'_

With no more words shared between them she pulled him back to shore and drew herself up onto the cove sand to wait for her fin to disappear. She folded her large appendage and drew it towards her chest while starring out at the water.

Her mate sat behind her and she leaned back into his sturdy chest. Being lulled to a sense of peace by his heartbeat the area around faded into the background.

"Thanks for being there for me." Her voice was low and she felt him drop a kiss onto the top of her head as his arms came around her.

"Where else would I be?" The question he answered with did not need a reply.

They walked down empty hallways on their way back to the Head's dorm later that night, James' arm around her waist and her head on his shoulder. She was always relaxed after a swim with him and allowed her guard to drop. Thoughts of what could happen the next day began running through her mind and she tensed. He stopped and stepped in front of her.

"Stop thinking about it. Everything will be fine." Lily shook her head.

"But what if it isn't? I don't know what I would do without her!"

James' hand slipped to her cheek and she mentally cringed at the look in his eyes. That look said that he was done with her stressing and would find a way to distract her instead.

He said nothing as his lips lowered to her forehead and pressed there. She could still feel the heat that was left behind when they left her forehead and moved downwards. Her eyes closed as he kissed her eyelids and the tip of her nose. The corner of her lips followed and her silent wish was granted when his lips landed on her own. All coherent thought flew out of her mind at the taste her mate. Her hands threaded through his hair and held him close to her. Although it did not appear as if he was planning on going anywhere anytime soon.

They were so focused on each other that they did not hear the quiet footfalls approaching from around the corner.

A gasp preceded hands hauling Lily away from him, ripping his hands away from her face and waist and a figure coming between them. Lilly's eyes flew open and she was greeted with the view of Aria's back as she lunged at the man in front of them.

Her arms flashed out and wrapped around the blonde's waist to stop her from attacking James.

"How dare you!" Aria yelled at him.

"Air, stop it." Lily pleaded with her, arms not leaving her friends middle.

"What about your mate Lily? Do you not really care if you find him?" Aria turned and grabbed her smaller friends' arms.

"I have found him." Those words stopped whatever was going to come out of the blonde's mouth next. She turned and balled her fists as she looked at James.

"What gives you the right to grab my best friend especially since she is already involved with somebody?!"

James locked eyes with her and said nothing. Aria got more angry as she looked at him and turned back to Lily. As she turned the redhead stepped around her and moved to James' side. She grabbed his hand and sent him a message.

'_Leave me alone with her. I need to explain.'_

'_Are you sure? It doesn't look like she is going to listen to anything you have to say.'_

'_I have to try. I'll see you back at the dorm. Now go.'_ She pushed him towards the Head's dorm and with one last glare at Aria he left the two girls alone.

"What's going on? Why didn't you tell us that you had found your mate. And what in the world did that bastard do to you?"

"Don't talk about him like that," Lily had to hold her emotions in check as she heard her friend insult the man that she had come to care for.

"Why not? It's not like he matters."

"He does to me!" Lily burst out. Aria stepped back and looked at her apprehensively.

"Why?"

Lily took a deep breath in and let it out in a gush. "He matters to me because he is my mate. I need him."

"What spell did he cast on you? You aren't making any sense. You said you had found your mate, so why were you just with him?" Her face was filled with disgust as she said that.

"The reason is what I'm trying to tell you. He belongs with me and I with him. James Potter is my mate."

"No! I refuse to believe that. You would have told me if the one person I hate more then You Know Who was your mate. How long have you known?" Aria was continuing to back away from the redhead.

"Since a week after my birthday. I knew you wouldn't accept it, so I couldn't tell you right away. I'm sorry for hiding it."

"Your sorry. You've been hiding the fact that you have been sleeping with the bastard for the last two months, but it's okay because you're sorry. That makes it all better."

Lily's voice broke, "Please let me explain-"

"No. There is nothing to explain. I won't accept the delusion that you believe is real."

Lily was getting angry and the air was heating up around her.

"Why can't you accept this? Sage didn't have a problem with it!"

Aria just looked at her in anger, "you told Sage and not me! Why should I trust what you say now?"

Lily was getting desperate, "then don't trust what I say, but you have to trust what I feel. We belong together, he is my other half. He completes me!"

"But why him? Choose somebody else."

There were tears in Lily's eyes as she pleaded with the blonde that was standing in front of her.

"If I did that I would die. Completely cease to exist."

Aria shook her head and stepped backwards, away from the girl that she had thought was as close as family. Hell they had been closer than her own family had ever been. The betrayal hurt like nothing Aria had ever felt before and she continued stepping back until she was at the door. Her final words were more dangerous than any spell.

"That might be better then having him in your life."

_Alright! There is chapter 15. It took a while, but it got done._

_Let me know what you think about the ending._

_Love it, hate it, wanted to throw your computer across the room…etc. In other words…REVIEW!_

_The next chapter might take a while, but I already know what is going to happen in it._

_Amber Eagle_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Chapter started: October 18 2012

Chapter finished: October 25 2012

Chapter posted: October 25 2012

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter, but some characters are from my amazing labyrinth-like brain.

Lily's emotions were in turmoil. Every part of her was frozen to the spot and her mind could not wrap around what had just happened. One of her best friends had just turned her back on her. Minutes passed and she had still not moved.

~James~

When he had left Lily's side he had immediately walked to the Head's dorm and tuned himself into his mate's feelings. As moments passed he felt her getting more and more unstable, and then everything came crashing down. He grabbed for the communication mirror in his pocket and called out for Sirius.

"Padfoot, pick up…"

A face appeared in the mirror and James spoke right away.

"I need you, Moony and Wormtail to go get Sage and come to the Head's dorm as quickly as you can."

The urgency in his voice had the other teen moving quickly. Sirius nodded and the mirror went blank again. James analyzed the sense of his mate and worried at the amount of sadness and negative emotions he felt radiating from her. He paced the room and the time seemed to stretch, the clocks ticking slowing down and the fire crackling began to fade. The door opened and the four people he had asked to be there piled in. They looked around and not seeing anything wrong looked at him quizzically.

"What's up?" Remus was the first one able to speak.

"Aria found out about Lily and I and she didn't seem to be taking it very well. Lily is still with her, but she will need our support when she gets back." As he spoke the common room door opened again and the redhead walked in slowly. She seemed to be in a daze and when she noticed the other people in the room she paused.

"It's okay. We're all here for you." These words had tears springing to her eyes and her moving in his direction.

"James. She didn't take it well."

His arms wrapped around her as he whispered, "I know. I could feel it."

Remus and Sage approached. They laid a hand on her shoulders in a show of silent support as she let her misery out. James looked over Lily's head at Sirius and could see that he was contemplating revenge against the girl who had hurt his honorary sister. He caught James eye and frowned when James shook his head. Knowing that Aria got hurt because of her would make Lily feel even worse than she did at that moment and hurting his mate was the one thing that James would not do.

Lily felt James bend over and grab her under the knees to pick her up and wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her to the couch and sat down with her in his lap.

Sage sat beside them and laid her head on Lily's back, "do you want to talk about it?"

"No. I just-" her voice broke and she let the tears fall from her eyes.

Remus sat on her other side and rubbed her knee while Sirius and Peter settled on the floor at their feet and pondered revenge.

The minutes stretched out and nobody spoke, the only sounds in the room were Lily's sobs, James' murmurs and the merrily crackling fire. The big black wolf in the portrait beside the fire starred out at the group before he raised his head to the sky and let loose a long mournful howl.

Lily's sobs slowed, but she didn't move.

Her mate looked down into her eyes and he asked, '_what do you need?'_

'_Other than to have the power to turn the clock back a few hours? Nothing.'_

Their mental conversation stopped and they continued sitting in silence.

~With Aria~

When she had left Lily's side it had felt like a piece of her was breaking. The bond with her sister was being severed. It was all because of him.

She walked outside and moved in the direction of the place that had become special to her, the cove. When she caught sight of it memories flooded her mind of times that the three of them had spent there and she spun and ran back in the direction of the castle. A large rock outcropping caught her eye and she took a seat.

The light drizzle she had been walking through suddenly increased and within moments she was soaked to the bone.

"Why? Why did you choose him over me? I thought we were supposed to be best friends!" Aria let all of her emotions out in a scream that was drowned out by a boom of thunder.

The rain mixed with the salty tears that flowed from her eyes and she didn't bother wiping them away.

"It's not her fault you know." The voice surprised the blonde and she twisted her head to the side to see the black haired mermaid standing there looking at her.

"It's all his fault. If he wasn't here then everything would be normal again."

"I don't think you understand. If James was not here then Lily would not be either. A mermaid is always born near the mate. They didn't have a choice."

"Everybody always has a choice!"

Corliss shook her head. "Not in this they don't. I'm going to tell you my story. It may help you understand. You need to know that not everything is easy for an elemental or the people around them."

Aria got to her feet and started walking away, "I don't want to hear it. She chose him over me. The decision seemed easy enough for her." The next words out of the mermaid's mouth stopped her cold.

"My twin sister, my best friend, ceased to exist because of what I am. Because of who my mate is."

~flashback~

"Cory! Look what I found!" A young girl ran to her twin, no older then eight, black hair flowing behind her in the light breeze, holding a large frog in her hands.

"Ewwww! Rhea, stop it!" The identical girl ran from the amphibian that was moving in her direction.

"Why are you so scared?"

"It's gross and slimy!"

"Like mommy's tail!" the thought had the two girls screaming with laughter and neither noticed as the frog hopped away.

Hours later the same two girls were lying on the ground outside their home and looking at the sky. The conversation that they were having would be one that would be on their minds for years to come.

Rhea glanced at her sister and said, "I heard the elders say that only one of us would be like mommy and Gabriella. They said that there was only enough magic for one of us to have a tail."

Corliss looked back at her and smiled as she said, "It doesn't matter which one of us has the magic because we will be best friends forever, right?" She raised her palm to her sister and when another small hand met her own in the dying sunlight a shock travelled through their connected fingers.

"Best friends forever. I love you Cory."

Years passed and saying that the two of them were close would be an understatement. They were always together and smiling and playing. When they turned ten their mother sat them down and explained that only one of them would be a mermaid, but they told her that they already knew that.

"Mommy it doesn't matter which one of us it is."

The redheaded woman smiled and pulled her youngest children in for a hug.

At that point it seemed like nothing could tear them apart.

When the twins turned 16 they were once again sat down, but this time it was revealed that Corliss was to come into her inheritance, and Rhea would not. When they were told they took it well, but as the months passed they grew distant. They began spending more time apart and it seemed normal, as Corliss was with the elders training and Rhea had made some friends in the neighbouring village.

It was also during this time that Gabriella, their 25 year old sister disappeared with her mate leaving a letter behind. Corliss was distraught. She had grown close to the older mermaid and Gabriella would often tell her stories about what it was like to swim with a fin and with the other elementals in the colony.

The elders took Corliss on a journey to see the place that their colony had come from and she was gone for a few weeks, but during that time a boy from the village came to the colony and asked for Rhea's hand in marriage. Their parents agreed as they could already see that the magicless twin was being separated from the elementals in the colony. She was the only human female born and was often found in the village next to the colony. Her fiancé was one of the friends that she had made and the two of them had grown quite close. He was the son of the blacksmith and was adored by many people.

Corliss returned from her journey and was shocked at the news she received when she returned. Had the two of them really grown that far apart?

She walked into her twins room and sat on the end of her bed.

"What's happened to the two of us? We used to be best friends."

Rhea shot her a dirty look. "Why would I be best friends with the person that stole from me while we were still in the womb?"

"I thought it didn't matter which one of us had the magic, we agreed that we were going to be best friends for the rest of our lives."

"You can say that now. You didn't lose anything. I don't even know where I fit in anymore!"

"You fit in with me." Corliss spoke earnestly.

"I don't want to be the poor magicless human twin anymore. When I get married next summer I am going to move into the village and put this world behind me."

"You'd abandon the colony?"

"It's not abandonment if I was never needed in the first place."

"I need you."

Rhea shook her head and her curls bounced around her face, "you never needed me. Don't try to fool yourself."

Those were the last words that they spoke to one another for a long time. With only a month until her transition Corliss tried once again to mend the ties between them. She found her walking home from the village one day and dragged her to the field that they had lain in as children. She lay on her back and pulled her twin down with her.

"Can we talk?" The surrounding area was quiet and Rhea nodded.

"I'm sorry for not being there for you lately and I wish that I had realized sooner."

"I'm sorry for getting so mad at you and for saying those things. I was jealous that one little thing could change so much between us and wanted to be you. You are going to go though your transition, find your mate and be a powerful elemental mermaid and what do I get? To be your poor human twin."

Corliss placed her hand on her sister's arm, "none of us see you that way, sometimes being human isn't so bad. I wish I had a choice. I would change places with you in a minute. You get to choose who you marry. I have no choice. I either choose to be with them or I die. I get no choice. Like you, you chose to be with him."

A small smile graced Rhea's face, "I did. I love him Cory."

"I know. I could see it on your face as you walked back."

"I really am sorry."

"I know, me too." With those words spoken they wrapped their arms around each other and embraced.

Rhea forgave her that night and all was well, but good things never stay that way for very long.

Two weeks after that the transition began. The vomiting and the temperatures that were seen in every new mermaid reared their ugly heads and Rhea was by her side for every moment of it.

On the day of her birthday the pain stopped and she regained her strength and the hunt for her mate had begun.

The first week passed with no luck and Rhea decided to take her out for a walk through the village. Her mate would be close and they could be a resident it. They left the colony and strolled through the forest until they reached the treeline. The cottages came into sight and they walked into the village centre. People were milling around and as they passed her Corliss took breaths and catalogued the scents that she came across. Nothing stood out, so she and Rhea moved across the square. When they crossed in front of a shop run by an elderly couple the air brushed Corliss' nose and she paused.

That was it. The smell that she had been looking for; the one that stood out among all the rest.

"Rhea, dear, we found that berry that you were searching for last week. The patch is into the woods to the west about an hours walk."

Rhea clasped their hands and thanked them profusely. Corliss saw that her sister was going to be busy for a time, so she began to follow the scent and it led her around the corner. She stumbled when her foot hit a rock and would have landed on the ground were it not for the strong arms that came around her. The scent of her mate wrapped around her and she looked up into his eyes. Dark hair flopped over his forehead and he frowned as he stared into her eyes. The moments seemed to stretch out as they looked at each other and Corliss opened her mouth.

"I see you have finally met each other." Rhea's voice interrupted the moment and he quickly helped Corliss stand on her own and picked his hands off of her waist.

"Good morning Rhea." He nodded at her and glanced back at Corliss, "I presume this is your twin sister Corliss?"

"I wonder what gave you that idea," Rhea replied teasingly as she stepped to his side and looked at her sister, "Cory, this is Belden, my fiancé."

As she looked at Corliss' face however her expression shifted from joy to anger.

"Again Cory! Will you not let me have anything? Everything that could possibly make me happy you take away!" With those words screamed at the girl who looked exactly like her she ran back in the direction of the colony.

With one last glance at the man that fate had chosen for her, Corliss ran after her sister.

"Rhea stop! I need to explain."

"What is there to explain. The man I love is supposed to be for you. Everything I want you take away!" A final burst of speed had her out of the mermaid's sight.

When she reached their home she immediately ran up the stairs and banged on Rhea's door.

"Open the door. Please. I'm sorry." Corliss begged of the girl that had been right by her side for her entire life with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No. Not this time."

"I didn't choose him. You know that that isn't possible."

Rhea ripped the door open. "That doesn't change the fact that he was mine and you are going to take him away from me. He makes me happy Cory!" Distress lining her face she stared at the young elemental in front of her.

Corliss looked into her sister's eyes and wiped her cheeks clean and set a wall around her heart as she spoke the next words, "I know that, which is why I will do nothing. He is yours and I not come between you."

Rhea stared at the girl who was giving up everything for her.

"Why would you do that for me?"

Corliss gave her a sad smile, "friends forever no matter what remember? Friends don't steal each others fiancés."

"Thank you. There are no words." Rhea threw her arms around the mermaid who was suddenly feeling a bit weak.

Corliss kept her words and said nothing to Belden and as the week passed she grew weaker and weaker, until the final day came and she was not able to get out of her bed.

Rhea found her like that and called for her parents and the elders never leaving her side. The elders came to the house and Corliss heard them talking to her parents in the hall outside of her door.

"Her body is preparing to shut down. The process is slower then rejection, but it will be just as painful. We see this in elementals that have not found their mates, which is terrible, but not unheard of."

"Is there anything we can do? Is there no way for her to survive?" There were tears in her mother's voice and Rhea stood before walking out of the room.

There was silence in the hall as the adults waited for the young woman to get out of earshot.

"When the pain begins we often go into the mind and persuade sleep. It is the merciful thig to do. This will allow the body to shut down and the mind to not suffer. Keep in mind that once asleep she will not wake up. The only thing that will reverse the process before we put her to sleep is the appearance and acceptance of the mate. In a situation like this where the mate was not found the elemental is never saved."

"As long as she doesn't suffer, if there is nothing that we can do. How much longer does she have?"

"We estimate that she has another two hours."

Meanwhile Rhea was running as hard as she could to the village, away from the colony and the sister that was dying because of her selfishness.

"Rhea, what's going on? What's wrong?" Belden grabbed her arm as she ran past and she turned to look at him.

"My sister is dying and it is entirely my fault."

"Corliss is dying? What happened? Why are you with me and not her? Your family needs you right now."

Rhea shook her head, "I'll explain. Is there someplace quiet that we can talk?"

Belden nodded.

They two of them sat on the fallen trees in the woods and Rhea started speaking, "You know that the place that I live is different then yours. The reason is that it is one of the last remaining elemental mermaid colonies. You've heard of them and you know what that means."

Belden nodded, "magical inheritance, power, mates. Why are you telling me though? What does this have to do with your sister dying?"

"That's just it. The reason I'm telling you is the reason why she's dying. Last week when you stopped her from falling she realized that you were her mate and because we were already together she sacrificed herself in order for me to be happy. She's dying because I was too selfish to let you go so she would survive. You have to go to her, let her know that you are there."

"You're saying that I'm your twin sister's mate and she is dying right now because I'm not there with her. This is too much to take in. I need some time." He stood and moved back in the direction of his home.

Rhea leaned over and grabbed the back of his shirt. "Why did you want to marry me? How do you really feel? Compare it to the feeling you had when you held her. Make your action based off of that." Knowing she had done all that she could Rhea also got to her feet and walked away with her head high not letting him see the tears running down her face.

She didn't know where she was walking only that she had to get away from that place. It seemed she had been moving in the forest forever when she came across a sunlit field with a large bush in the middle of it. The bush had small green berries hanging off of it and as soon as she saw them she knew what they were.

"Oblivion berries."

The elders were about to send their minds into Corliss' to send her to sleep when the door on the floor below was thrown open. Belden ran up the stairs and into the struggling mermaid's bedroom. Her parents looked up and said, "Rhea isn't here right now, and we are going to ask you to leave. Please Belden."

"No, Rhea explained to me what's going on and I can help."

"There is nothing that can be done for her now. Now leave Belden."

"No! I'm her mate! I can help."

"She told us that her mate hadn't been found. What are you saying?"

"Rhea told me what happened, now I have to help her." He moved past her parents and stopped beside the elders, who had paused when he entered the room. "What do I do?"

"You're sure about this? You know what doing this will mean?"

"I've thought it through. Tell me what I need to do!" He was beginning to panic seeing her in pain and he had finally come to fully accept that the reason he had chosen Rhea was because she was close to what he really wanted and without him being aware, his heart had drawn him close to somebody that could get him to his mate.

"Kiss her. If you truly are her mate she will return to us, but if you aren't it will have no effect." With those words the old women and men left the room with her parents following slowly behind.

"I'm sorry." Those were the only words he spoke as he brought his lips down to hers.

After a few moments she opened her eyes and saw Belden looking down at her and she gasped, "what are you doing here? How did you know?"

"Rhea told me. I didn't even realize I was missing anything until I caught you and I was completed."

"Rhea. Where is she now?"

"I don't know. After thinking it through I came straight here. I haven't seen her since she told me."

"We have to find her."

After searching for hours they did find her, she had eaten the oblivion berries and forgotten everything about who she was, her family and her colony. Her parents decided that it would be easier for her to live as a human in a human village and not as one of the only nonelemental females in their colony. Belden's family took her in and raised her as their own. Rhea grew old, happy and was never the wiser about what she had loved and lost.

_There's the next chapter! I thought that I would give you some insight to the character that will become even more important in the future._

_Review and let me know what you thought of the look into Corliss' past._

_Amber Eagle._


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Chapter started: October 25 2012

Chapter finished: February 2 2013

Chapter posted: February 3 2013

I'm writing a shout out to all the people who have been reviewing and a big plate of cookies goes out to turtlelover0511 for being with me from the beginning and reviewing almost every chapter. It means so much to me to see that you are still here with me and gives me many good feelings. Good feelings = inspired writer = quicker chapters (most of the time).

Disclaimer: I do not earn royalties from book sales and am not named J.K. Rowling, therefore I do not own Harry Potter. The original characters are my own and the plot stems from the cavern referred to as my brain.

Aria stared at Corliss when her story had finished.

"You would have given your life for your sister."

Corliss nodded, "I would have and almost did, but it turned out that she was the one to give hers for me. Our love for each other was so deep that we wanted nothing more than the other's happiness. We would do whatever it took to ensure that the other was happy."

"Why won't Lily sacrifice something for me then? Does she not care?"

Corliss motioned to the weather around them, "why do you think it is raining? Your best friend is powerful enough that she can control the weather without thinking about it. That means that everything else is enhanced as well, including her feelings for James. An elemental has only one mate. We are like wolves, when we mate it is for life."

"So he actually saved her life when he agreed and accepted her? She could have died this summer. I could have lost my best friend and it's only because of him that she's still around."

"Yes. There's one more thing that you should know. Just because they are together now, doesn't mean that everything is good to go. An elemental will never outlive their mate by long. When James dies, Lily will as well because we can't survive without them, but they will survive without us. Which was why when I died, Belden lived on. If James is harmed Lily will feel it as if it is happening to her. His pain becomes her pain and vice versa."

"She wasn't saying it just to be dramatic? I thought she just chose him over me."

"She doesn't get to choose and you don't have the right to try and make her do so. If you want her to exist then you must accept that he is going to be a huge part of her life."

"I don't know if I can."

Aria sat beside the black haired girl and sighed.

Corliss placed her hand on her shoulder, "why not? What do you have against James?"

"I just don't believe that he can change. He has been absolutely miserable to the three of us since we began school and I lived near him before that. I was always being forgotten about and pushed aside when we were together. It always felt like my parents liked him better as well because he is a pureblood from a long prestigious family line."

"Why don't you think he can change? Lily obviously does."

"Her judgement could be clouded by the feelings that she has for him or he could be hiding it from her."

"An elemental has access to their mate's mind and vice versa. Nothing can be hidden from the other."

"And the clouded judgement?"

"I can offer no answer for that. Her emotions may be clouding her judgement, but you must trust in your friend enough to overcome that unknown. Do you believe that Lily would let her emotions get the best of her?" Corliss asked gently, placing her hand on the blonde's arm.

"I don't know. I need some time to think about all of this." Aria stood and moved towards the castle. The mermaid just let her walk away; knowing that she had done what she could to help the new elemental.

~With Lily~

Lily lifted her head from James' chest and looked around. Remus and Sage were on either side, and Sirius and Peter were leaning on the couch in front of her. Their magical signatures were all present and seemed to wrap around her and James. There was a sense of comfort and calm emanating from them and she was able to remain calm and keep her powers under control. She knew if they had not been here then her mate would not have been enough, there would have been storms galore and the school may have been at risk.

She thought that she was able to survive with nothing but her mate, but she could not have been more wrong. Mates were essential for a mermaid, however in order to be truly happy they must be surrounded by people they love and are cared for in return. In the old days there had been colonies to give the elementals a safe place to live and a reason to prosper. Those colonies had all been wiped out and Corliss was still trying to figure out why their line had survived. In all of the generations that had passed there had only been women born to each descendent. There had to be a reason for that. A reason other then the elementals last ditch effort to preserve the line and continue passing the gene down. Lily couldn't help but feel that there was something bigger meant for herself because of it, not only was she the first elemental born in many generations but she was also one of the more powerful. That power was almost unheard of in mermaids that did not come from generations of successful breeding.

She felt that there was more to her power then anybody knew and was driven to figure the reason why out, but she could hardly do that while sitting comatose in her mates lap.

James could sense the shift and the increasing clarity in her thoughts and looked down into her eyes.

'_Are you going to be okay?'_

She nodded, _'eventually. Right now I just need to move forward.'_

'_What can I do?'_

'_You've done all you can for me. This is something that I must do by myself, but with you by my side. I'm not making any sense.'_

'_You are. The strength to move forward has to come from inside yourself and you have to be the one to do it. I am not supposed to be holding your hand the whole way. I have to be the silent support from beside you…not lead_

'_Thank you… James I want to tell you that the last few months has been really special and there is nobody else in the world I would rather spend it with.' _With those last thoughts she lay her head back onto his chest, took a deep breath and stood up, jolting the others around her into movement.

"Lils, I will talk to her. Get her to see." Sage began speaking.

Once again the redhead shook her head, "the change can't be forced on her, and it needs to branch out from the place in her heart that our friendship lives in. Once that is done she'll come back. Sage I'm not going to make you choose between us. Go find her. Make sure she is okay. Just don't try to change her."

Sage's large grey eyes were full of emotion, and she said nothing as she wrapped her arms around the mermaid, before leaving the room silently. Lily then turned to the other people in the room.

"Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail… can you guys please not try to get her in trouble or prank her?"

The boys shared a look before nodding, "okay, we'll try."

"Thank you. Corliss, please show yourself I must speak with you." The dark haired woman shimmered into sight and looked at Lily inquisitively.

"Watch over her."

Lily knew that she may be going a little overboard with her actions, but she knew that Aria would eventually stand at her side again and when she did Lily wanted her to be safe. Their friendship was worth more to her then a falling out could take away. She needed Aria to know that.

~With Aria~

After leaving Corliss Aria found refuge in the prefect's bathroom on the third floor. She couldn't go back to the dormitory in case she ran into Sage, there was too much anger inside of her at the brunette for her to handle that calmly, and she refused to go to the kitchens or the room of requirements. Both rooms had memories of the three girls that Aria just didn't want to think about, so she sought solace in the one place she knew she would not be found in.

The creaking door was her only warning before somebody walked in the room. She spun around to give the intruder a piece of her mind and froze at the sight of Sage standing in the doorway. Her mouth began to open and close silently as she struggled to find words through her shock.

"What do you want?" The anger was evident in her voice.

"To see if you are okay. Lily told me what happened."

"Is there anything that Lily doesn't tell you? What else are the two of you hiding from me?!" Aria was furious and she was not quite sure why. She knew that the fact that James was Lily's mate frustrated her, but it was the fact that Sage had known before her, that Lily hadn't deemed her worthy enough to tell right away that really stung.

"Lily didn't tell me! I saw her and James together that first time just as you did. The emotion in his eyes when he looked at her was enough to convince me to give him a chance. You should see them together Air. It is like seeing two halves come together. They move in perfect sync."

"What if I don't want to see them like that? Lily is ours! Why should we give her up to that git Potter? We have always been together and now that is going to change. If it were anybody else I wouldn't be worried, but he has a magnetism that pulls people in and only releases them when they are heartbroken or he decides that it is Already she is bailing on us to spend more time with him and his flunkies. Not only that but how do we know that the girl that we know as our best friend is still in there? The Lily that I knew wouldn't immediately get into bed with that bloody prat; she couldn't stand the very thought of being around him." Aria stopped speaking and drew a deep breath in. While she was huffing Sage gazed at the blonde sadly.

"Listen to yourself. What is it that you are really worried about? Come see me when you figure it out." With those final words Sage turned and left the room once again leaving Aria alone with her thoughts.

Corliss shimmered into sight a time later and sighed, "the two of you are more like my sister and I then you think you are."

Aria growl in displeasure at being disturbed again a"Get out! What are you doing back here?"

"I was asked to watch over you and keep you safe."

"Well you can go tell Sage to stuff it up-", she was cut off by the floating figure.

"It wasn't Sage that asked me." Aria was alone after the mermaid blinked out of sight.

~Lily~

One of the traits that Lily had was that she saw herself as too forgiving. Aria had told her that she would be better off dead then with the man that made her happy and still she cared about her. That was one of the things that stemmed from her genetic makeup. Nothing was more important to an elemental then family and Lily still saw the blonde as a part of hers. She knew that she had not meant all of what she had said, but that didn't mean that it hadn't hurt to hear it.

When Aria had spoken to her in that cold tone Lily had been thrown back to the end of fifth year when Severus had turned his back on her. The only difference was that one had said it because he hadn't cared and the other had said it because she cared too much.

Lily felt her small family unit breaking apart little by little and it was breaking her heart and beginning to splinter her mind and control into small fragments a bit at a time. Aria would return, but the only question was whether Lily would still be sane enough to let her in willingly.

_There is chapter 17, this chapter took forever and when I finally picked it up again I definitely just finished it in one sitting._

_Thanks again to everybody that reviewed the last chapter; Harryginny9, xsoulfighterx, turtlelover0511, and marlotta. _

_Cassia: As an answer to your question if you are still reading this I was actually considering pairing Sage up with somebody but I am still not quite sure who._

_I have a facebook account for my fanfic writing and will be posting updates on what's going on and maybe releasing short scenes from future chapters. Add me if you would like to contribute and show support. Amber Eagle is the name that it is under and there are mermaids as the profile picture, so you don't choose the wrong person._

_Thanks for reading and give me a review. Please and thank you._


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Chapter started: May 1, 2013

Chapter finished: May 5, 2013

Chapter posted: May 5, 2013

Thanks to the people that read the previous chapter and a plate of cookies goes out to escap1st who reviewed first. I know this story is taking some time and I really appreciate any and all the feedback I get via reviews or PM's.

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter and earn nothing from the sale of the materials. Rights belong to the genius creator J. K. Rowling. The original characters, Aria and Sage, and the plot are from my own imagination.

_Last time_

Lily felt her small family unit breaking apart little by little and it was breaking her heart and beginning to splinter her mind and control into small fragments a bit at a time. Aria would return, but the only question was whether Lily would still be sane enough to let her in willingly.

_Now_

Aria passed through the next few days on autopilot, not thinking about what was going on in her life and not speaking to Sage or Lily. The void that was growing inside of her was getting bigger and harder to ignore as time passed. She knew that something was going to give, but she wasn't sure what it was at that point. Only when she was sitting by herself in the dark at night after everybody else had fallen asleep did she allow her mind to wander. Thoughts of her best friends were mixed in with images of herself alone.

The brunette and redhead that were featured in her thoughts were acting similarly. They were not their usual selves and the rift had the students around them making bets on why. It was almost unheard of for the three girls to be apart, let alone not speaking.

The marauders were at a loss. They didn't know what to do, so they did the smartest thing and stayed out of it. As the days turned into a week and one week turned into two and October became November, Lily began to lose periods of time. They would just disappear from her memories. One moment they would be there and she could recall them at any time and the next it was just an empty memory. That was dangerous as her fine tuned control was also getting shakier by the day. Since the day that she and Aria had split she hadn't been able to wield the power the same way. Her emotions were going through the roof and plummeting below the floorboards within the time span of a few minutes. It reached a point that James was the only one that was able to bring her out of her emotional distress. Her mind was fracturing and it was all stemming from the perceived rejection. She would live through it, but she would not be totally stable in the end.

Seeing her friend like that was ripping Sage apart and she decided to do what she could to help. Entering the dorm room that she had not entered in weeks displayed Aria leaning against the wall with her back to the door staring out the window.

"What do you want?" The blonde's voice was monotonous and she didn't turn her head to see who had entered.

"You need to talk to Lily. She is losing it."

"She doesn't need me. She's got James."

"Elementals need more then just their mates to survive at full capacity. If you had read about what she was you would know that. Regardless she does need you and, judging from the way you look now, you need her as well."

"Why do you care that we talk?"

"I care because the two of you were my life lines through some of the darker points in my life and I wouldn't be the person that I am today without the two of you. I hate being between you guys and just want you to see that it is the same for both of you as well. Even though we are different people there is so much overlap in our lives that we are more similar than people think. When either of you is in pain I hurt for you and I know it's vice versa as well. How many nights did both of you stay awake so I wouldn't be by myself in third year? Why would you have done that if you didn't care?"

Aria's only response was silence as her eyes misted over. Since Sage was behind her the tears went unnoticed and Aria heard Sage sigh and mutter before she left the room.

"Stubborn pigheaded girl. I give up."

Alone with her thoughts again the blonde sat on her bed and glanced at the table beside it. There were pictures of the three of them throughout their years together. Each image caused the memory to rush to the front of her mind. Her favourite picture didn't have an exciting story behind it, just the three of them walking away from the camera heaving textbooks behind themselves with the sun shining on the castle in the distance. It had been taken at the end of fifth year while they had all been studying for their OWLs. Wanting a break from the library she had begged and pleaded until Lily and Sage had given in and said they could sit beside the lake. They had stayed there for hours reading and taking notes, sitting in almost silence, but that was the best time that she could remember while actually getting work done.

Another picture grabbed her attention and she was immediately back in first year at their first breakfast in the castle.

_Flashback_

"_Wow! How does all of this food just appear? Is there a spell or a charm for it?" the small redheaded Lily Evans looked on in wonder as the empty table soon became overloaded with food. Insatiable curiosity was one of the things that Aria had already noticed about her. She was always looking around and trying to figure out how the magic made things around them work. _

_End Flashback_

Just watching Lily had made her smile and look at the world that she had grown up in through new eyes and she had seen that everyday things were really amazing and they were fortunate to have magic in their lives. It appeared as if the redhead was always teaching her without knowing it. Opening her eyes to things she had never thought about before by just being who she was. As Aria's thoughts drifted so did her eyes and they landed on a photo from the fourth year. This was the only picture on the table that didn't move because Sage had taken it with Lily's muggle camera and they had decided to leave it uncharmed. The scene portrayed was chaotic to say the least. It showed herself, covered in feathers and honey, about to leap on a running Sirius who was holding two buckets with a shit-eating grin on his face. James was on his broom above Lily's head with another few buckets and Sage had caught the image right at the moment of impact. James wore a gleeful smirk and Lily appeared as if she didn't know what was going on as she was covered with the same mixture as her friend.

Bad was an understatement when it came to describing the relationship between James and Lily for the first six years of school, but no matter what had happened they had always been a part of the others life. They had never just ignored the other or pretended that they didn't exist. Even when the thoughts weren't good they had always made sure that the other was thinking of them. This revelation made Aria's mind fly and it didn't take much more to change her mind about the situation.

A new frame on Sage's bedside made Aria stand and move closer. It had to have been taken by a random bystander as they were all in the moving shot. It had been taken a few weeks before the blow up. The three of them were walking down the hall towards class and three of the marauders were coming the other way down another hallway. In the shot Lily stopped to pick up a piece of fallen parchment and when she stood she bumped into the man that Aria now knew was her mate. His arms immediately flashed out to brace her so that she wouldn't fall and hers fell to his elbows. They didn't say anything, just looked at each other before moving on and going their separate ways. Their hands clasped and released reluctantly as the distance between them grew and just before he was out of the shot he turned around to watch her go.

The scene was one that she hadn't even noticed at the time, but watching the two of them made it obvious that there were some deep emotions involved there. Such a small moment could put everything on display, but nobody else noticed in the hallway. The people around them just continued walking. Only the person that took the photo saw something worth stopping for.

Her brain was flipping past thoughts quickly, but the common theme was that even when she had been with James there hadn't been a difference between the Lily from before the last summer and the Lily then. Maybe everybody was right and she hadn't changed because of him.

If that was truly the case then Aria had some work to get done. She began planning and slept well for the first time in weeks that night.

A few days later found an emotionally and physically unstable girl trudged out of the charms class room and wanted nothing more then to go back to her dorm and lay down with her mate at her side, but a hand on her arm had her turning and the person standing in front of her made her snarl with rage.

"Lily! Can we talk?" Aria asked quietly, eyes flicking around on her face searching for any sign of forgiveness. Finding none she found her courage wavering, but she straightened her back and stood her ground. She needed to get her words out, no matter what the redhead said.

Lily ripped her arm away and snarled, "what, so you can tell me that I should be dead instead?"

"No! You have to know it didn't mean what I said. I would never wish you to be dead! You are my best friend. You know everything about me and still choose to be beside me as my friend. You didn't turn your back when you found out my darkest secret and that showed me that I could always trust in you. You believed in me and that faith gave me the strength to move on and continue with my life. I forgot that at the moment when it was most important. The only wish in my heart right now is that you can forgive me for the mistakes I've made."

Lily's green eyes narrowed in anger and the spark that had been laying dormant in them since the blonde had cut herself off flared to life.

"Forgive you? What makes you think I would do that? What thought could you possibly think could possess me into letting you get close to me after you told me I would be better off dead? I'm pretty sure that passes the point of no return."

Aria held out her hand and said, "take my hand Lils. Let me show you that I will stay by your side and not let you down again. Your friendship means more to me then anything else at this point in my life. I don't know if I deserve a second chance, but I will do my best to be the person you thought I was. The person I know I want to be."

"You have one chance." Those were the only words the redhead spoke as she placed her hand in Aria's.

"That's all I will need."

Lily found that the longer she was in contact with the blonde her head became less and less fuzzy and her memories became clear again. By the time that the pair reached the dungeons she was almost back to her old self. A simmering cauldron caught her eye and she moved forward until she stood beside the red liquid. The knowledge that she recognized the potion floored her.

"Aria, why is this potion here? We aren't supposed to ever make it again."

"I had to prove to you that I don't want to lose you as a friend and if the only way to do that is to brew and drink the nightmare potion then I will do it. I know that our bond is not the same as the one between you and James, but I'm confident that you will be able to bring me out of it. Our friendship was, is, strong enough for that." As she spoke Aria noticed Lily shaking her head.

"No. I can't let you do that Air. I saw what it put James through and I would never with that on anybody else, not my best friend or my worst enemy."

"Then what can I do to prove it to you?"

Lily's smile was small, but it was still a smile. "You just did. I could sense the conviction in your mind and that alone is enough to show me. I only ask that you give me the time to explain myself that way I should have back in September. I was the one to blame behind everything that happened and I'm more sorry then you could ever know about that."

"You didn't do anything Lily!"

"Exactly, I didn't tell you what I knew when I figured it out. I didn't have the faith in you that you just showed you have and have always had in me. The worry that I was going to lose you when you found out was enough to shake my belief in you and our friendship. Never again will that happen. I'm so sorry Air."

"Hakuna Matata." Aria shrugged and Lily burst into giggles.

_I hope you enjoyed that chapter. It took long enough to come into existence. Aria was definitely the focal point in this chapter, but there is a reason for that. It will be revealed later._

_Thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chapter; __Escap1st, __Weasley02__, __snickerdoodlesXinfinite__ and Cassia._

_Anyways, tell me what you thought about it in a review or a PM to __amber-eagle __._

_I also want to mention my facebook again, Amber Eagle, with a profile picture of three mermaids on a rock… a foreshadow? Maybe. Add me and you may find out. _

_Amber Eagle_


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